The memo reports on the renovation work carried out on the Archcathedral Basilica of St Stanislaus and St Ladislaus in Vilnius. The scope of work included the renovation of St Casimir's Chapel and the Cathedral's foundations. The reason for starting the work was the flood that inundated and partially damaged the Cathedral walls. During the repairs, the tombs of Alexander Jagiellon and Barbara Rzadziwiłłówna were found, as well as the tin containing the heart of Władysław IV. The information was published in the journal "Sztuki Piękne",1931, no. 8-9, p. 344 (public domain, reprinted from the Library of the University of Silesia, Katowice).

A modernised reading of the text

Work on the restoration of Vilnius Cathedral began with a major renovation of St Casimir's Chapel. First of all, research was started to find the royal tombs, according to historical data. In the vaults of St Casimir's Chapel are the tombs of Alexander Jagiellon, Elisabeth Rakuska, Barbara Radziwill and an urn containing the heart of King Vladislav IV. If the examinations do not reveal the tombs, a major renovation of the chapel will be carried out once this work has been completed.

For the duration of the renovation, the relics of St Casimir were moved to another location. Once the renovation of the chapel has been completed, the basement of the cathedral, built on piles driven into the water-soaked ground, will be investigated and strengthened. The basilica site used to form a formal swamp. With this threatening the cathedral, it was decided to lay reinforced concrete foundations at a cost of around £1 million.

When examining the piles under the basilica, one such pile crumbled at a touch. You can see from the above how seriously the state of the basilica is under threat.