The text describes paintings on glass, a gift from Prince Ireneusz Oginski of Kozielsk, which was to go to the St John's Church in Vilnius, which was still founded by Władysław Jagiełło. (Source: Tygodnik Illustrowany, Warsaw 1863, T:7, p. 45., after: Digital Library of the University of Łódź).

A modernised reading of the text

Paintings on glass intended for St. John's Church in Vilnius.

Of the European countries, Lithuania was the last to embrace the holy Christianity only at the end of the 14th century. Before its conversion became widespread, before religious fervour penetrated the masses and encouraged them to express their feelings in works of church architecture, the Middle Ages had passed into the grave, and with them Gothicism, an expression of their spiritual fervour towards heaven.

As a result, when the western Europe was full of gothic churches, when even the far-flung Polish regions can boast of many such monuments, Lithuania can count only a few gothic churches, and among them only St. Anne's Church in Vilnius excels with its purity of style. Glass painting, which was a supplement of the Gothic construction at that time, could not develop here even more when there were no churches of this order to decorate. So far we have not had in Vilnius, nor in Lithuania in general, any coloured window, which would remind us, for example, of St. Mary's Church in Cracow. But now our city can also boast of a beautiful acquisition of this kind.

The ancient Church of St. John the Baptist, founded by Wladyslaw Jagiello along with other first temples in Lithuania, has today received twelve paintings on glass from Irenaeus Oginsky, Duke of Kozelsk. The publisher of the "Album of Vilnius", Mr. J. K. Wilczyński, one of the most thorough experts in the art of painting and its history in our country, invited by prince Oginsky, took over the direction of the whole work, gave a general plan and detailed models for the paintings. According to this plan and models, the paintings were executed by Messrs Laurent and Gsell in Paris.

The work was executed with such care, harmony and purity of colour as only today's glass paintings can attain. Thanks to these qualities, the paintings of Mr Laurent and Mrs Gsell were eagerly received at last year's general exhibition in London and were awarded a medal. The woodcut enclosed here shows, as far as can be done without colour, a likeness of one of the twelve paintings, executed after an original by Szymon Czechowicz. The Archpriestly Church of St. John in Vilnius, the only one among those founded by Jogaila to have retained its elemental physiognomy at least in the external form of the walls, could not be adequately decorated.