A new sculpture of four men has appeared in the courtyard of the Franciscan Monastery on Trakų Street in Vilnius Old Town. The sculpture commemorates the 1863–1864 uprising, but art historians criticise its placement and aesthetic expression, while the Vilnius Municipality’s Historical Memory Commission says it did not approve the project.
The new sculpture depicts four men: Konstantinas Kalinauskas, Zigmantas Sierakauskas, Jokūbas Dalevskis, and a Franciscan from the monastery.
In this monastery, Vilnius citizens began to gather six months before the uprising to protest against the tsarist government. The sculpture of the four men was consecrated on Friday, which also marked the 160th anniversary of the execution of Kalinauskas, one of the leaders of the uprising.
Until now, there has been no commemoration of the 1863–1864 uprising against the Russian Empire in Vilnius.
‘Unpleasant misunderstanding’
The sculpture was consecrated by Archbishop of Vilnius Darius Trijonis.
“They testified to their courage, freedom, and truth. We remember with respect those Franciscans who strengthened the rebels and supported the struggle,” he said during the ceremony. “Even though the rebellion was suppressed, and the Tsar liquidated the monastery and ordered the closure of the church, the seed of freedom was sown in the hearts of the people.”
According to an art historian Giedrė Jankevičiūtė, it is important to commemorate the 1863–1864 uprising, but the chosen place is not suitable for the sculpture.
“We are dealing with a very specific urban space. This is the Old Town and a place visited by various groups of the public. Most Vilnius residents know it as Juozepas Montvila Square. His monument stands there. The initiators of the new monument seem not to have taken this into account,” she told LRT.lt.
Juozapas Montvila or Józef Montwiłł was a Lithuanian public figure, entrepreneur, banker, philanthropist, and the initiator of the construction of many sacral and other buildings in Lithuania.
According to the art historian, two narratives of historical memory are now competing in the square, which “is not good”. She also criticised the artistic form of the new sculpture.
“The name of the sculptor is not even mentioned in the press or social media. The sculpture resembles a mass-produced artificial synthetic resin composition as if imported from China, and we don’t know anything about its author. This monument does not meet any artistic criteria,” Jankevičiūtė said.
“I strongly disagree that a monument is not a work of art and should not be subject to aesthetic criteria. An unpleasant misunderstanding has taken place, a monument has appeared in Vilnius, which, I would hope, will not have a long life,” she added.
The art historian argues that the new sculpture also interferes with its surroundings.
“That space has been shaped for a long time – it has its load. The only thing left to do is to engage in a dialogue with the builders of the sculpture and look for some kind of solution. Maybe to find another, less visible, place for it?” Jankevičiūtė said.
Erected despite disapproval
According to Irmantas Kuzas, a spokesperson for the Vilnius City Municipality, the initiators of the sculpture approached the Historical Memory Commission of the municipality at the end of August last year. The commission did not approve the project and suggested that the initiators choose other means of expression.
The Historical Memory Commission is an advisory body working alongside the Vilnius City Council. It is contacted when there is a wish to commemorate something in Vilnius, be it a plaque, a monument, or any other sign in a public space or on a private but highly visible plot of land.
According to Kuzas, the commission’s disapproval is significant when various sculptures are built with municipal funds. In this case, however, the sculpture commemorating the 1863–1864 uprising was built with private funds, and the initiators chose to erect it despite the commission’s disapproval.
“It seems to be the first case where the approval was not given and they built it anyway,” Kuzas told LRT.lt.
LRT.lt could not contact priest Adam Dettlaff, one of the main initiators of the sculpture, for comment.
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