St. Anne's Church

Flamboyant Gothic brick masterpiece Napoleon wanted to steal

St. Anne's Church represents the peak of Gothic architecture in Lithuania. Its facade is built from 33 different types of brick arranged in intricate patterns, making it one of the most graceful small churches in northern Europe. The elaborate decorative brickwork — towers, turrets, and soaring pinnacles — reaches skyward with an elegance that belies the modest scale of the building itself.

The neighboring Bernardine Church and monastery, connected to St. Anne's, are worth stepping into as well. The Bernardine complex is larger and plainer than its famous neighbour, but the interior has Gothic elements and a 16th-century fresco cycle that survived the Soviet period. Both churches are on Maironio Street; St. Anne's is open daily 10:00–15:00.

things to do sight church
A story
According to a story that first appeared in the 19th century, Napoleon was so taken with St. Anne's during the 1812 campaign that he said he wished he could carry it back to Paris on the palm of his hand. Historians debate whether he said any such thing, but you'll understand the impulse when you see the facade.