A new mosaic artwork by Lithuanian artist Gitenis Umbrasas, titled St Christopher, was unveiled Thursday in on the façade of Vilnius Municipality building facing Europos Square. It celebrates the city’s patron saint and symbolises unity, protection and strength.
The 42-square-metre mosaic, composed of 30 granite slabs and thousands of colourful, hand-split stone fragments, was created as part of the city’s public art program Kuriu Vilnių (Creating Vilnius).
“Each Kuriu Vilnių artwork not only beautifies different city spaces but also tells a story about modern Vilnius – a city that values its past while boldly shaping its future,” Mayor Valdas Benkunskas said in a statement. “Projects like this remind us that art is not just a façade, it is the city’s soul, inviting us to pause, look deeper and rediscover what it means to belong to this place.”
Umbrasas described his depiction of St Christopher – who, according to legend, carried the Christ child across a river – as a messenger connecting earthly chaos and celestial harmony.
“I portray St Christopher as a link between the chthonic and solar worlds, guarding Lithuania’s future like a child,” Umbrasas said. “There is a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them. Though we are all different, together we can form a beautiful, unified image, just like in this mosaic.”
The artist noted that St Christopher, restored as Vilnius’ patron after Lithuania regained independence, has now “returned once again to the city’s face”.
The Kuriu Vilnių initiative, launched by the Vilnius City Municipality, commissions contemporary artworks for public spaces across the capital, from squares to residential buildings. Over the past six years, 47 modern art projects have been completed under the program.
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