4 March – St. Casimir's feast day

Today, by celebrating Saint Casimir, the patron Saint of Lithuania, we want to share with you one of the paintings of this bright and worldly personality as well as a great man of faith, depicting his values and a close connection to Vilnius.

 

‘This is one of the oldest paintings of Saint Casimir. Here, the prince is depicted wearing the garments of kings and dukes – the ermine fur cloak and ducal hat. In his hands St. Casimir is holding his traditional attributes – lily and cross, the symbols of purity and faith. The figure of the Saint stands surrounded by the landscape of Vilnius. On the right is the Hill of Three Crosses and a fragment of the Upper Castle, while on the left – Vilnius Cathedral with the Chapel of Saint Casimir built in 1636. In this painting, the Cathedral is captured in its original form before the reconstruction by Laurynas Gucevičius (Wawrzyniec Gucewicz), therefore the image holds additional meaning and value as an iconographic source of Vilnius history,’ – writes Dalia Tarandaitė.