Kauno Įgulos bažnyčia: nuo svetimo link savo paveldo
Kaunas Garrison Church: From the Alien to Our Own Heritage

Summary/Abstract: The article uses historical and iconographic material to analyse how the socio-cultural significance of the sobor in the centre of Kaunas has changed over the course of 130 years. Built in 1895, the Orthodox sacral building served as a symbol of the ideology of the Tsarist Russian Empire, which was based on autocracy, orthodoxy and russification. After the occupation by Kaiser Germany, the building, adapted for Protestant needs, became a distinctive symbol of the conquered territory. During the First Republic, the sobor became the Catholic Garrison Church, and this resulted in a distinct contrast between the favourable official attitudes and the negative public opinion. In the Soviet era, the anti-religious policy reinforced the dissonant narrative of the building. The building was transformed into a stained glass and sculpture gallery, thereby attempting to subdue its sacral character. A fundamental socio-cultural shift occurred after 1990, when the church was returned to the Catholics and gradually became a symbol of the city without any negative connotations.

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