Vilniaus vyskupijos istorija: XIV-XVIII a

LTXIII–XIV a. Lietuvos valdovai keletą kartų bandė krikštytis, tačiau įsteigtos bažnytinės institucijos (tarp jų ir Vilniaus vyskupijos) tęstinumo neturėjo. Todėl paprastai istoriografijoje Lietuvos krikšto data laikoma ne konkretaus valdovo apsikrikštijimas (kaip dažnai atsitikdavo įvairiuose Europos kraštuose), bet Vilniaus vyskupijos įsteigimas 1387 m., po kurio vyskupija nepertraukiamai veikia iki šiol. Vilniaus vyskupija, taip pat kiek vėliau įsteigtos Lucko (1400) ir Žemaičių (1417) vyskupijos apėmė visą Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės teritoriją. Po 1569 m. Lenkijai atiteko didžioji dalis Lucko vyskupijos teritorijos. Iš kitų Lenkijos ir LDK vyskupijų Vilniaus vyskupija išsiskyrė ir savo dydžiu – ji apėmė apie du trečdalius visos LDK teritorijos. Šiame straipsnyje siekiama aptarti Vilniaus vyskupijos steigimą ir organizavimą, svarbiausius administratorius – Vilniaus vyskupus ir katedros kapitulą, katedros istoriją, parapinio tinklo formavimąsi, vienuolynų steigimą. Atskirai aptariamos didikų fundacijos ir populiariausi krašte šventųjų kultai [Iš svetainės].

ENThe Diocese of Vilnius was erected in 1387 when Lithuania converted to Christianity. Vilnius Diocese as well as Diocese of Luck (established in 1400) and the Diocese of Samogitia (established in 1417) covered the entire territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was the largest diocese in the country and one of the largest in Europe. Spiritual and ecclesiastical supervision of the dioceses was carried out by the bishops of the diocese who were members of the Lithuanian Council of Lords between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. They would later become senators and get actively involved in the political life of the country. The first royal endowment was bestowed on Vilnius episcopal see by King Ladislas Jagiełło. Subsequent foundations were made by royal as well as private donors. Bishops collected significant revenue. In mid-sixteen century the endowment of the Bishop of Vilnius was 3.5 times higher than the total income of the cathedral chapter. Bishops were elected by the chapter and nominated by the people. In the fifteen and sixteen centuries a lengthy formal procedure had to be followed before a bishop would be instituted in his office. Vilnius Episcopal see was the highest and the most prominent ecclesiastical office in Lithuania as far as the Episcopal endowments and the role the Bishop of Vilnius played in the Senate. The Dioceses of Samogitia, Łuck and Kiev were lower in rank, therefore Samogitian and Łuck ordinaries would make attempts to advance to the position of the Bishop of Vilnius.Vilnius Cathedral Chapter received formal papal approval in 1388 and was founded by King Jagiełło on 15 May 1390. The chapter consisted of six prelates and twelve canons – this arrangement had been introduced around 1524 and lasted until the end of the eighteen century. The chapter shared in diocesan administrative duties with the bishop, assisted the bishop in the government of his diocese and it would often delegate a candidate for the ordinary from among its members. As in the cases of all other cathedral chapters, in Vilnius, too, the prelacies were appointed different duties. The duty of the dean was to convoke the chapter and to supervise the cathedral clergy: vicars, prelates, presbyters. The archdeacon acted as the bishop’s representative with the duty of supervising the preparation of the episcopal visitations in the diocese. The church of St Stanislas and St Ladislas situated in the castle of Vilnius was first mentioned in 1387. The first cathedral was a stone building. After the first fire in 1419 it was rebuilt as a three-nave Gothic style building with vaulted ceiling. The Church underwent major reconstruction after the 1530 fire. The present building was built by Wawrzyniec Gucewicz in Neo-Classical style at the end of the eighteen century. The cathedral was raised to the rank of Basilica in 1889, and when the Archiocese of Vilnius was established in 1925, it became Archcathedral. The cathedral has been closed down during the long period of the Soviet occupation and between 1956-1988 it housed a picture gallery.The Chapel of Saint Casimir is definitely the glory of the cathedral. It is remarkable site of devotion to Saint Casimir who died in 1484 and was a son of Casimir Jagiellon, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. King Sigismund III Vasa and King Ladislas IV Vasa commissioned artists to build the Chapel in 1623-1636. The relicts of the pious prince were then solemnly transferred to the Chapel where they remain until the present day some interruptions. Soon after the foundation of the Diocese of Vilnius a few other churches were built. There were about 27 churches around the year 1430. Once members of the lower clergy and laymen joined in with their donations, the number of parishes started to grow. Around the year 1500 there were already about 130 churches. Interestingly those Catholic churches were situated far away from each other, and a sixteen-century parish would cover the territory of 870 square kilometers on the average while in the same period a parish in Poland would cover 60-77 square kilometers. Low parish network density in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was unparalleled in the Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania and on a European scale. One of the factors was the vast territory that the Diocese of Vilnius covered. It is worth mentioning that between the sixteen and mid eighteenth centuries Lithuanian bishoprics were the ones that developed most dynamically of all the bishoprics in the Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania. In the period between 1500-1772 the number of parishes in the Diocese of Vilnius tripled, in the Diocese of Łuck the parish number doubled, and in the Diocese of Samogitia the parishes became four times as numerous. [...].