Evangelical Cemetery, Vilnius

The Evangelical Cemetery in Vilnius, Lithuania was established in early 1800s. As the city grew, there was a need to move the old Lutheran cemetery outside the city walls. The old cemetery, used from 1550s, was located in land donated by the Radziwiłł family on Liejyklos Street.lt icon cite web |url=http://www.augustana.lt/?lang=lt&mID=11&id=2 |title=Reformacijos pradžia Vilniuje |publisher=Evangelical Lutheran Church of Vilnius |accessdate=2208-01-10] Before the old cemetery was closed Vilnius University professor made an inventory of interesting tombstones. The list was acquired by Eustachy Tyszkiewicz and was stored in the Museum of Antiquities that he founded. [lt icon cite book | first=Bronius |last=Kviklys |title= Lietuvos bažnyčios. V tomas: Vilniaus arkiviskupija, I dalis | year=1985 |publisher= Lithuanian Library Press |location=Chicago, Illinois |pages=407-413 |isbn=0-932042-54-6]

Since 1830 the cemetery was also used by Calvinists, who ran out of space in their old cemetery on Pylimo Street. The new cemetery was surrounded by a brick wall. It also had a shelter for the poor. The community built a brick chapel and incorporated some of the tombstones from the old cemetery. The white neo-classical chapel was equipped with bells and pipe organ.

In 1958 the cemetery was closed and in 1974 it was demolished and turned into a park by the Soviet authorities. [lt icon cite web| url=http://www.liuteronai.lt/parapijos/vilnius/istorija.htm |title=Vilniaus parapijos istorija |first=Darius |last=Petkūnas |accessdate=2008-01-10 |publisher=Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lithuania] The only remaining evidence of a cemetery is the Classical mausoleum for Jan Fryderyk Niszkowski, a prominent surgeon. [cite book | first=Tomas |last=Venclova |authorlink=Tomas Venclova |others=translated by Aušra Simanavičiūtė| title=Vilnius: City Guide | publisher=R. Paknio leidykla |location=Vilnius |year=2006 |edition=6th |isbn=9986-830-48-6|pages=193] The great chapel was also demolished. In its place Palace of Marriages (Lithuanian: "Santuokų rūmai") was built.

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External links

*ru icon [http://www.vilnius.skynet.lt/diafilm.html Historical images of the destroyed cemetery (third film)]