The Expression of the Way of the Cross in the Former Churchyard of the Bernardine Ensemble in Tytuvėnai

It was not before the 18th century that separate galleries dedicated to the Way of the Cross began to be established in Bernardine convents in Poland and Lithuania. The Stations of the Cross of the ensemble of the Bernardine convent in Tytuvėnai that have survived till our days were created in the last quarter of the 18th century, when a square churchyard with arcades was built at the church. Strict and alongside harmonious arrangement of the Stations of the Cross in the arcade galleries of the churchyard fence, and the Chapel of the Holy Stairs in the centre of the churchyard makes this ensemble uncommon and exceptional in the context of other Bernardine churches in Lithuania. The ensemble of 39 Stations of the Cross consists of 14 gypsum high-reliefs, which depict 14 obligatory stations, and 25 compositions painted on the wall, which reflect the course of Christ’s trial at Pilate’s court or, in other words, the history of Christ’s condemnation to death. The stations painted in al secco technique are greatly deteriorated, but the surviving guide to the Calvary of Tytuvėnai published in 1781 allows us to reconstruct their plots.