The most celebrated Gothic church in Lithuania, and one of the finest in northern Europe. It is small — leading into the presbytery of the adjacent Church of the Bernardines — but its elaborately ornamented facade is extraordinary. Thirty-three types of profiled bricks rise skyward and curve into decorative motifs that look more like lacework than masonry.
The church took its present form after reconstruction in 1582 and is possibly the only Gothic building in Lithuania where bricklayers truly surpassed the purely constructional function of their material. The interior has changed more than once: three Baroque altars were installed in the mid-18th century, and a neo-Gothic belfry was added in the second half of the 19th century.
According to legend, Napoleon was so impressed that he wanted to carry the church back to Paris. Whether or not that's true, you'll understand the impulse when you see it. Maironio St. 8. Open daily 10:00–15:00.