Tytuvėnai is a city in western Lithuania, in the Kelmė district
municipality, in the eastern foothills of the Žemaičiai highlands,
17 km east of Kelmė, by the Tytuvė stream. Tytuvėnai borough is the
center of the surrounding borough, the directorate of the regional
park. The former St. Bernard Monastery of Tytuvėnai and its ensemble
(beginning of the 17th century - end of the 18th century, one of the
most magnificent Baroque monuments in Northeastern Europe) stands.
There are several other cult buildings in Tytuvėnai: Tytuvėnai St.
Church of the Virgin Mary (since 1633), Tytuvėnai icon of the Mother
of God "Kazanskaya" church (since 1875), Christ's Stairs chapel
(since 1778), Tytuvėnai cemetery St. Joseph's chapel (since 1827),
Tytuvėnai chapel-mausoleum (since 1853).
There is a Tytuvėnai
high school, a Tytuvėnai youth school (Budraičiai), a library, a
post office (LT-86061), a forest museum (founded in 1962 in the
former forest area). There is a monument to Maironis in the church
square (built in 1995; founder Tadas Kalasauskas, sculptor D.
Lukoševičius). There are the remains of the Tytuvėnai manor. In the
northern part of the city, there is a memorial stone from 1863. in
memory of the rebels (built in 1930).
Since 2004 An
international arts festival is held in Tytuvėnai in the summer.
Pilgrims march to Šiluva in September.
Tytuvėnai is located in the eastern foothills of the Žemaicai highlands, by the Tytuva stream. Bridvaišis is located in the southern part of the city, Gilius is also nearby. Stūks Tytuvėnai mound. There is a gel outside the city. station settlement. The Tytuvėnai Regional Park has been established in the vicinity. The most important roads are 157 Kelmė–Tytuvėnai and 148 Raseiniai–Tytuvėnai–Radviliškis.
Tytuvėnai is a water-based toponym derived from the river Tytuva
(previously called Tytava), adding the suffix -ėnai. Earlier, the
settlement was called Tytavėnai, but from the 19th century mid to 20th
century in the middle, the current name gradually took hold.
Another version says that the town could have been named after the
nobleman Tytuvėnas or Tytavičius who lived here, although it is more
likely that the latter named himself after the area than the other way
around - there are many Lithuanian place names derived from water names,
and the latter are not associated with personal names.
The area has been known since the 14th century. the end of the 15th
century Tytuveni was marked on the map by Nikolaj Kuzietis. 15th century
Tytuvėnai manor is mentioned at the end. in 1555 the first Tytuvėnai
church was built, and a town appeared next to it (mentioned in the manor
inventory from 1581). in 1633 built in Tytuvėnai St. Virgin Mary Church
and Monastery. in 1724 Augustus II granted the privilege of an annual
market.
in 1863 Rebels were active in the forests of Tytuvėnai.
However, once they were unexpectedly attacked by the tsar's gendarmes,
almost all of them were killed, and the leader of the rebels, Z.
Citavičius, was arrested and killed. in 1864 after the uprising, the
monastery was taken from the Bernardines.
20th century at the
beginning, Tytuvėnai was a famous Lithuanian resort. in 1931 June 21 the
central government of the entire Žemaitija is established here.
in 1956 December 28 Tytuvėnai received city rights. During the Soviet
era, there were peat farms, agricultural enterprises, forestry, a sewing
workshop, and Tytuvėnai Agricultural Technical College.
in 2002
August 19 the coat of arms of Tytuvėnai was approved.
Tytuvėnai Christ Stairs Chapel
The Tytuvėnai Christ's Stairs (Holy
Stairs) Chapel (full name: The Stairs of Passion, Christ's Stairs, Holy
Stairs Chapel of the Church of the Holy Virgin Mary and St. Bernardine
Monastery in Tytuvėnai) is located in Kelmė district, Tytuvėnai
township, Tytuvėnai St. On the territory of the ensemble of the Church
of the Virgin Mary and the Bernardine Monastery. One of the attractions
of Tytuvėnai Regional Park. Chapel since 1996. included in the Register
of Cultural Heritage (unique code 21849). It is famous for the stairs
used by pilgrims to climb up to the chapel. The chapel in Tytuvėnai is
designed according to the Roman "Sancta Sanctorum" (Holy Stairs) chapel
near the Lateran St. John's Basilica example.
History
in 1775
In Tytuvėnai, in the very center of the churchyard, the construction of
the Holy Stairs, or Christ's Stairs, chapel began. Built from stone
brought from Sweden, the Holy Stairs were first prayerfully
circumambulated in 1778. May 28 on the Feast of the Ascension of the
Lord. 1771-1780 in a spacious closed-plan courtyard with arcade
galleries around the chapel, there are 39 Stations of the Cross, which
in terms of the number of stations is the largest known Way of the Cross
in Lithuania. The stations have remained unchanged to this day.
In order to receive indulgences, worshipers had to climb the Holy Stairs
in their knees, saying the appropriate prayers. In Tytuvėnai, general
indulgences were granted after the Ascension of the Lord, St. John the
Baptist, Three Kings and St. Octave of the Immaculate Conception of the
Virgin Mary.
During the Soviet era, various institutions were
located in the premises of the former monastery: an agricultural
technical school, a boarding school. 1961-1973 during the renovation of
the Tytuvėnai ensemble, the facades of the Chapel of the Stairs of
Christ were also restored.
Chapel stairs
The Tytuvėnai chapel
has stone stairs for going up and wooden stairs for going down. Stone
steps with reliquaries. Relics are installed under a glass cover on each
step - holy earth brought from Palestine. One row of stairs is for
pilgrims to climb up, the other for going down. When climbing the Holy
Stairs, it is necessary to say the prayers "Our Father", "Hail Mary" and
"Glory to God" after kneeling on each step. This precept is written on
the board above the entrance door, "The Way of Walking the Holy Stairs".
After climbing the Holy Stairs, pilgrims find themselves in a small
upper chapel with an altar.
The "Sancta Sanctorum" chapel in
Rome, which was the prototype of the Tytuvėnai chapel, reflects after
the 16th century. the practice of circumambulating the Holy Stairs,
which began to spread in the calvaries of Europe after the Council of
Trent. The Sancta Sanctorum has 28 marble steps covered in wood with
built-in glass that shows stains, said to be drops of Christ's blood as
he climbed the stairs. Many pilgrims climb these stairs, always on their
way, to contemplate the Passion of Christ.
Architecture
The
chapel forms an architectural ensemble of Gothic, Renaissance and
Baroque styles, which also includes St. Church of the Virgin Mary and
Bernardine Monastery. The courtyard of the churchyard with arcaded
galleries and the chapel of Christ's Stairs built in the center of the
churchyard represent the latest – baroque – phase of the ensemble's
construction. The main two-tower facade of the church is also baroque.
The chapel is single-story, with a massive tower covered by a
four-gable roof. The composition of each of its facades is different.
The openings in the walls of the building are arched (at the entrance
door), the turret window openings are rectangular. The chapel is
baroque, the composition of its south and north facades is symmetrical,
and the opposite facades are free. The dominant details are pilasters,
volutes, entablature, profiled cornice of the shelter, pediment with a
peak, relief cartouche of the coat of arms of founder Jurgis Goiževskis,
buttresses. There are epitaph plaques of Amelia Pšeciševskiene and
Rapola Pšeciševski with inscriptions in Polish.
At the top of the
stairs is a plaster cast altar with the Crucified in the center. The
altar of the Crucified is decorated with sculptural groups "Crucified
Jesus Christ and kneeling St. Mary Magdalene" and "God the Father and
the Holy Spirit" and sculptures "Painful Mother of God" and "St. John
the Evangelist". In the chapel, two wooden sculptures of Jesus tied to a
pole are also placed: the so-called "Ecce Homo" (lit. Behold the man)
and "Christ on the pole".