Lopaciński Palace in Vilnius, 1762-1768/69, photo dr hab. Anna Sylwia Czyż, prof. ucz., 2016, all rights reserved
Fotografia przedstawiająca Zenovich (Lopaciński) Palace in Vilnius
Lopaciński Palace in Vilnius from the courtyard, 1762-1768/69, early 19th century., photo dr hab. Anna Sylwia Czyż, prof. ucz., 2014, all rights reserved
Fotografia przedstawiająca Zenovich (Lopaciński) Palace in Vilnius
One of the representative rooms of the Łopaciński Palace in Vilnius, 1762-1768/69, photo dr hab. Anna Sylwia Czyż, prof. ucz., 2016, all rights reserved
Fotografia przedstawiająca Zenovich (Lopaciński) Palace in Vilnius
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ID: POL-002141-P

Zenovich (Lopaciński) Palace in Vilnius

ID: POL-002141-P

Zenovich (Lopaciński) Palace in Vilnius

Łopaciński Palace (formerly Zenowicz Palace) is located in one of the most picturesque backstreets of Vilnius, right next to the complex of three Bernardine monasteries with the churches of St Francis and St Bernardine and St Michael the Archangel, as well as St Anne's Church. At one time, a Calvinist congregation (until 1640) with an extensive cemetery for Reformed evangelicals also stood in its immediate vicinity.

The palace stood on two plots of land which were joined at the beginning of the 18th century by the Zenovich family of their own coat-of-arms, using the nickname Despot to remind us that, according to legend, they were descended from the rulers of Serbia, whose representative fled to Lithuania in the face of the Turkish invasion. The palace with its extensive square garden was built by the Minsk voivode Krzysztof Zenovich (d. 1717). Closer to Vileyka, the French-type garden merged with a garden of a utilitarian nature, where an outbuilding was located; in further view, the residence opened onto the Bernardine garden and the floodplains of the heavily meandering river here, and above all onto the Upper Castle. The work for Krzysztof Zenowicz may have been carried out by Giovanni Pensa (d. 1716), an Italian living permanently in Vilnius, who used the governor's foundation to build a church of the Discalced Carmelites in Zaświrz (1713-1714, consecration 1766). The choice and interconnectedness of the foundations seems obvious, although so far no archival material has been found to confirm this hypothesis.

The Zenowiczs' palace was burnt down in the great fire of the town in 1748. In 1762 the property already belonged to Mikołaj Tadeusz Łopaciński (1715-1778), politically connected with the Sapieha and Czartoryski families and founder of the family's provincial line. During his reign, the palace was transformed according to the design of Johann Christoph Glaubitz (ca. 1710-1767), who carried out a number of works for the Samogitian bishop Jan Dominik, brother of the Brzeskolite voivode. The surviving correspondence of the Łopaciński family shows that the Samogitian bishop not only indicated the architect, but also took an interest in the progress of the work on the Vilnius investment, supporting Nicolaus Tadeusz organisationally and financially.

After the death of the architect and builder, the work was continued by Jan Wilhelm Freser (d. 1772), who came from an artistic Prussian family settled in Vilnius in the 1720s. The irregular plan of the building and the characteristic break in the facade, together with the layout of the cellars, indicate that its basic form was created by older walls. Despite the reconstruction, the residence has therefore retained its irregular plan with two wings. The body of the palace was covered with a mansard roof and the walls were decorated with rustication.

The heir of the Mstislav voivode was his son, Jan Nikodem Łopaciński (1747-1810), a skilful draughtsman and engraver, who undertook the modernisation work. It is known that there were terracotta figures in the palace garden at that time. In 1801, the residence was owned by his younger brother, Samogitian suffragan Joseph Leon, as John Nicodemus had built himself a more spacious and representative palace almost directly next to the castle and cathedral (not preserved). Quite soon Jozef Leon Lopacinski sold the real estate to Bishop Jan Nepomucen Kossakowski. He rebuilt the palace slightly before leaving for Baden, where he soon died, adding, among other things, a two-storey arcaded loggia on the west side of the palace body and a low polygonal scarpe in its north-west corner. It cannot be ruled out that he also ordered the garden to be recomposed towards a free-form layout.

In the years 1819-1828 the building was in the hands of Graf Narcisse Olizar (1794-1862), a graduate of Vilnius University, a November insurgent, a writer and publicist, an emigrant. The palace was later owned by Jozef Zawadzki (1781-1838), a renowned Vilnius publisher. In 1886-1889 the palace was rebuilt by Wincenty Gorski (1848-after 1901) with the erection of a new gate, as well as an outbuilding on the western side. In 1910, renovation work on the palace was carried out by Waclaw Michniewicz (1866-1947). In the 19th and the first half of the 20th century, successive owners rented a large part of the house to tenants. One of the flats was occupied by, among others, the painter Ferdynand Ruszczyc (1870-1936).

Time of origin:
1762-1768, 1886-1889
Creator:
Joannes Pensa (rzeźbiarz; Wilno), Johann Christoph Glaubitz (architekt; Wilno), Wilhelm Frezer (architekt, budowniczy; Wilno), Wincenty Górski (architekt; Polska)(preview), Wacław Michniewicz (architekt, inżynier; Polska)(preview)
Bibliography:
  • A.S. Czyż, Pałace Wilna XVII-XVIII wieku, Warszawa 2021, s. 589-600.
  • Lietuvos architektūros istorija, t. 2: Nuo XVII a. pradžios iki XIX a. vidurio, sud. K. Čerbulėnas, A. Jankevičienė, Vilnius 1994, s. 167-168.
  • A. Kaladžinskaitė, „Žemaitijos vyskupų Antano Dominyko Tiškevičiaus ir Jono Dominyko Lopacinskio architektūros užsakymai”, „Menotyra”, t. 14, 2007, nr 2, s. 34-38.
Publikacja:
04.08.2024
Ostatnia aktualizacja:
04.10.2024
Author:
dr hab. Anna Sylwia Czyż, prof. ucz.
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