File:'Church of St.Anne and St. Bernardine' Vilnius.jpg

The first church at this site, constructed of wood, was built for Anna, Grand Duchess of Lithuania, the first wife of Vytautas the Great. Originally intended for the use of Catholic Germans and other visiting Catholics, it was destroyed by a fire in 1419. The present brick church was constructed on the initiative of Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander[2] in 1495–1500; the exterior of the church has remained almost unchanged since then. A reconstruction of the church, funded by Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł and Jerzy Radziwiłł, was carried out following severe fire damage, in 1582. Most recent reconstruction followed in 2009. Bron: Wikipedia

The Bernardine Church, or Church of St. Francis and St. Bernardine as it is also known, is located beside the Church of St. Anne. It contrasts drastically with the tall, spired, Gothic St. Anne's, with its more subtle, Renaissance styling. During Soviet times, the Franciscan monks were forced to abandon the church and go underground and the church was turned into a warehouse. However, after independence was restored, the monks restores and the church is now, again, a place of worship.