LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Lietuvių literatūra, XVI–XVIII a.; Lietuvos Barokas; Religinė giesmė; Giesmynas. Keywords: Lithuanian literature, 16th–18th centuries; Lithuanian Baroque; Religious hymn; Hymnal.
ENBaroque epoch (late 16th - 18th centuries) brought proliferation of sciences and arts to Lithuania, construction of numerous Baroque etc. Yet, the 17th century is called the Century of Disasters due to numerous wars, the occupation of Lithuania (1654–1661), massive deaths, famine and plague epidemics. This period saw an unprecedented number of religious hymns published as well. The best-known hymn writers are Catholic S. M. Slavočinskis (1646), Pr. Šrubauskis (1679); Protestants: Evangelical Reformed (Calvinist) St. Jaugel- Telega (1653); Evangelical Lutheran M. Švoba (Schwabe), (1666, 1685). The aim of this article is to discuss some motives of the existential concept of being and the features of its development in the above-mentioned hymns. The article uses a comparative approach and will refer to the works of Lithuanian scholars A. Jovaišas, D. Kuolys, Br. Maskuliūnas, Dž. Maskuliūnienė, D. Pociūtė-Abukevičienė, E. Ulčinaitė, and M. Vaicekauskas. [From the publication]