Chapel of Saint Casimir

About

The Chapel of Saint Casimir is a Roman Catholic chapel, that is dedicated to Saint Casimir, located in the Vilnius Cathedral, in Vilnius, Lithuania. The chapel was built in 1623–36 after Prince Casimir (1458–1484) was canonized as saint. It was built and decorated in the Baroque style by Italian sculptors and architects commissioned by Sigismund III Vasa, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. The centerpiece of the chapel is a faux marble altar which holds the silver sarcophagus with Casimir's remains and the painting Three-Handed St. Casimir.

Construction: Prince Casimir was the second oldest son of the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Casimir IV and Queen Elisabeth of Austria. After his elder brother Vladislaus was elected as King of Bohemia in 1471, Casimir became the heir apparent. However, he focused on devotion to God and became known for his piety. He became ill (most likely with tuberculosis) and died at the age of 25. Prince Casimir was buried in a crypt under a Chapel of Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary that his father reserved for the royal family. He was the first burial in this chapel. It is located to the left of the entrance and is...