Aušra Vasiliauskienė (PDF)
https://doi.org/10.53631/MIS/2024.15.6
The article focuses on the most significant changes in the interior and iconographic programme of the Holy Trinity Church in Kaunas in the twentieth century, which took place from 1938 to 1940 and in the second half of the century. The study identifies the changes in the interior after the church was taken over by the Salesians in 1938, assesses the artistic features of the modern interior of the second half of the twentieth century and the iconographic programme, and reveals the creators who were unknown before. The study concludes that in the twentieth century, there was a dynamic change in the interior space of the Holy Trinity Church in Kaunas, from the rich Baroque to minimalistic, laconic and even ascetic forms. This change has been driven primarily by historical factors and changes in social and religious life. Historical sources provide the most comprehensive information about the transformations in the 1930s, 1970s and 1980s. From 1939 to 1940, the church was rebuilt according to the project of architect M. Songaila to provide more space for parishioners. The altar dedicated to St John Bosco, who occupies a central place in Salesian worship, has also been arranged in the church. The paintings of St John Bosco and St Francis de Sales were placed in one of the old altars built in the seventeenth century. The spread of the Salesian Congregation in Lithuania is connected with the canonisation of John Bosco in 1934, while the Salesians settled in Kaunas in 1938.
The Holy Trinity parish witnessed its 300th anniversary of the building of the church in 1934. In a broader context, the Great 1900th Jubilee of the Death of Jesus was celebrated in Lithuania between 1933 and 1935, during which, in the First Eucharist Congress, the whole of Lithuania dedicated itself to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. On this occasion, a sculpture, The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, by M. Menčinskas, was erected in the churchyard of the Holy Trinity Church in Kaunas. The sculpture commemorates the Great Jubilee and the devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was topical then. In addition, it also reflects the anniversary of the building of the church.
In summary, the new artistic solution in the second half of the twentieth century combines minimalist architectural forms with realistic, distinctively stylistically interpreted figural compositions. The iconographic programme focuses on the themes of the Holy Trinity, the Eucharist, the Mother of God, and St Joseph, which are emphasised in the church, reflecting its title, the devotions practised, and the feasts celebrated. A modern artistic and iconographic programme for the interior, with the advice of the seminary teachers, was developed and implemented in the late
1970s, 1980s and 2000s by architects and artists B. Kugevičienė, I. Kvašys, V. Kvašys, T. Meilūnas, I. Meidus and R. Žukauskienė. An ensemble of three altars with modern, minimalist forms, basrelief compositions, new stainedglass windows with rich content and new furnishings were gradually added to the space. The fresco by A. Kmieliauskas, created in the 1950s, has harmoniously integrated with the new artistic concept. The work in the church in the 1970s and 1980s took place in the difficult conditions of the Soviet era, when the creators of modern ecclesiastical art, especially the young artists, had to hide their identities. Therefore, their names were kept secret, unpublished and forgotten. Today, the identification of their names paradoxically requires much effort.
Keywords: The Holy Trinity Church in Kaunas, Kaunas Seminary, Salesians, iconography, art