About the client

The Museum of the Diocese of Samogitia has been operating in the heart of Samogitia – Varniai – since 1999. It is housed in the former building of the Seminary of the Samogitian Seminary, which was built in 1770 after the Tsarist Russian administration had closed Vilnius University. During the inter-war period, the museum buildings were used as Varniai Concentration Camp. In 1995, the bell tower and the roof structure were rebuilt. In 1999, the building was handed over to the Museum of the Diocese of Samogitia.

INFES work

During the reconstruction, the roof and the bell tower are being reconstructed, and new bells, cast in the bell foundry in Innsbruck (Austria), are being installed. The reliefs for these bells were created by the sculptor Algirdas Bosas and the painter Jurgita Eidėjienė. The large bell is 157 cm in diameter (weighing 2430 kg), the second bronze alloy bell is 130 cm in diameter (weighing 1410 kg), the third bell is 108 cm in diameter (weighing 840 kg), and the smallest bronze alloy bell is 106 cm in diameter (weighing 760 kg). The bells are installed in a way that would maximize their acoustic properties.

Restoration work on the facade and the installation of a “breathing” drip edge are also planned. The interior of the building is being overhauled, with the restoration of the protected interior elements. The reconstruction includes the replacement of all the building’s engineering systems, preserving the antique furnaces. Outdoor engineering networks are being laid by drilling 26 boreholes for the installation of geothermal heating.

Significance of the project

The museum offers an opportunity to get acquainted with the artistic, historical, and memorial heritage of the Diocese of Medininkai and the Diocese of Telšiai. Varniai, the centre of the Samogitian diocese for almost 450 years, has always occupied a special place in the religious, cultural, and political life of Lithuania and to this day continues to attract history lovers. The building was used as a seminary until 1864, when the centre of the Samogitian diocese, the seminary and Bishop Motiejus Valančius were moved from Varniai to Kaunas. The reconstruction of the museum will help preserve centuries-old artifacts and provide a closer insight into Lithuanian religious history.

Results

The new bells and the renovated roof of the Museum of the Diocese will give visitors a strong sense of sacred space. The restored antique details of the building will reveal the everyday environment of the priests who lived there in the 19th century. The highlighted details of the building will give visitors an even clearer picture of historical events. The renovated engineering and heating systems will create an even more pleasant experience of visiting the museum.