The Identity of Vilnius: City of Mercy and Pilgrimage
The Identity of Vilnius: City of Mercy and Pilgrimage

Summary/Abstract: This article focuses on the identity of Vilnius as a city of pilgrimage and mercy, which is closely related to the cultural and religious heritage of the old town of Vilnius. The main problem in this research is the use and sustainable management of religious heritage in modern Vilnius. The main sources for the article are ethnographic fieldwork materials collected by the author in Vilnius in 2018–2022, the websites of tourism companies, the daily newspapers and the diary of St. Faustina Kowałska. The study reveals that the sustainable adaptation of cultural and religious heritage in urban spaces is an important tool which models the authentic experience of city-dwellers, pilgrims, and city guests, as well as acquainting them with the cultural, religious, and historical heritage of Vilnius and providing them with knowledge about the city’s identity. Vilnius’s cultural and religious heritage could have a significant role in the creation of a common identity for all European cities. One way of creating a distinctive city identity is to combine cultural and religious heritage with unique narratives about local religious sites and the saints of a particular city. Alternatively, knowledge of religious heritage can be used to develop the authentic and unique atmosphere of religious sites.

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