Dominican Church of the Holy Spirit

Starting to take its current shape towards the end of the 14th century, in 1501 this fine church was given to an order of Dominican monks who built a monastery nearby. Its present predominantly Baroque appearance dates to the middle of the 18th century when the church was rebuilt after a serious fire. The building, which functions as Vilnius’ Polish Catholic community’s main house of worship, remained opened throughout the entire Soviet occupation. Gaining rare access to the crypts promises a ghoulish adventure amidst some 2,000 corpses in varying states of repair. Dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, the bodies are said to be victims of the plague.