Bernardinų bažnyčia ir vienuolynas

LTAnkstyviausios žinios apie Tytuvėnus šaltiniuose aptinkamos XVI a. pradžioje, Lietuvos didžiajam kunigaikščiui Aleksandrui dovanojant žemes jau mirusio Vilniaus vaivados Aleknos Sudimantaičio dukrai Jadvygai. Vėliau Tytuvėnai dar kelis kartus perėjo iš vienų rankų į kitas: 1555 m. priklausė Ivanui Jurjevičiui Glebavičiui, 1581 m. - Ukmergės stalininkui Jonui Gruževskiui, 1589 m. Leonas Sapiega pardavė juos Lietuvos Brastos vaivadai Kristupui Zienavičiui, o šis 1609 m. - Andriejui Valavičiui. Kaip tik su A. Valavičiumi siejasi bernardinų vienuolyno Tytuvėnuose pradžia. [Iš straipsnio, p. 37]Reikšminiai žodžiai: Tytuvėnai; Tytuvėnų istorija; Vietovių istorija; Tytuvenai; History of the Tytuvenai; History of the locality.

ENThe ensemble of church of St. Virgin Mary of Angels and monastery of the Bernardine remained till nowadays in Tytuvėnai. It is one of the most interesting and biggest complexes of Lithuanian sacramental architecture of the 17th - 18th centuries. Styles of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque belong together in it. Ensemble consists of buildings of church, a house of monastery and an outhouse. Unchanged capacity of church (the basilican temple with three naves and with long presbytery ending with apse of three walls) reminds about building works of the 17th century. Presbytery has two floors. Winding stairs from the first floor lead to the second one. The second floor of presbytery can be reached from the second floor of monastery too. Such spacious two-storied presbytery is unusual thing in Lithuania. The gallery of monks on the second floor connects to sacristy of the first floor as well. Ogives of arch of sacristy creates and illusion of star arch. Not plastered exterior masonry of red bricks reminds that the ensemble was started to build when Lithuanian architecture still was using forms and materials typical for Gothic. Masonry was braced with inserts of boulders. High arched windows of presbytery have traceries. Pointed triumphal arch separates a presbytery from nave. Tapering off minutely vaulting of plat bans, smart star vaulting of the presbytery and refectory and the high roof of church are typical for Gothic too. Influence of Renaissance can be felt sidelong facades of church and monastery. There are semicircle windows, mural Doric pilaster between windows of church, plastered and painted in white edgings which decorates walls of red bricks, traceries, portals of door, cornices, friezes and outside niches of walls of the monastery.Exterior walls of church and monastery are thick (from 1.36 m to 1.8 m). It is typical for Lithuanian architecture that sacral buildings have defensive nature. Uncommon and original construction of the roof of church remained till nowadays. It is a difficult but strong system studs, spars, diagonals, buttresses and struts, retaining heavy ceramic carpet of battens. The building of monastery changed the least. It is an example of the later Renaissance in Lithuania. It is a two-storied house of horseshoe shape and with three bulks. Both ends of the building abut on the south wall of church and form a small cloister - an enclosed rectangular courtyard of 16.62 x 14.04 size. A gallery with glazed arcade, which was set along the south wall of church, connected opposite ends of monastery, cloister, presbytery, and sacristy with a courtyard. Enclosed cage of stairs led from cloister to the second floor. Monastery still has an old single-sided system of corridors. Premises of the first floor of monastery were ample, had different size and were covered by cross vaulting. In the southwest corner there was a bright, big dinning room of refectory illuminated with six big windows. It was covered with the smart vaulting of ogive. Next to the refectory there was a big kitchen with stove and Swedish oven for baking bread. A slot with a turning window for serving food connected the kitchen with the dinning room. Under trinary kitchen there were three cellars where food and vegetables were kept. A hypocaust-heating stove was fitted under south and east bulk of monastery. Warm air from the stove circulated through channels. Such heating system was introduced in other monasteries of the Bernardine in Lithuania too. [From the publication p. 144]