St. Paraskeva Church

Vilnius, Lithuania

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

Find out more

OfficialOfficial website↗

St. Paraskeva Church, located in Vilnius, Lithuania, is the oldest Eastern Orthodox church in the country. Originally constructed in 1345 at the request of Grand Duke Algirdas's first wife, Maria Yaroslavna of Vitebsk—who was buried there in 1346—the church allegedly stands on the site of a former pagan temple to Ragutis. Repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt following fires in 1557, 1611, and 1748, the church underwent major reconstruction in 1864 when it was rebuilt and enlarged in Neo-Byzantine style by architect Nikolai Chagin on orders of the Russian local government. The church witnessed significant historical moments, including a 1705 visit by Peter I during the Great Northern War, when the tsar attended services and served as godfather at the baptism of Abram Petrovich Gannibal. After decades of closure and use as a Soviet-era atheism museum and folk art gallery, the church was returned to the Orthodox Church in 1990 and reconsecrated the following year, where it continues to serve as an auxiliary chapel of the Cathedral of the Theotokos.