Johann Christoph Glaubitz ( – 30 March 1767) was an architect of German descent who is generally considered to be the most prominent Baroque architect in the lands of the former

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...

Early life

Glaubitz was born in Schweidnitz (Świdnica),

Duchies of Silesia The Duchies of Silesia were the more than twenty divisions of the region of Silesia formed between the 12th and 14th centuries by the breakup of the Duchy of Silesia, then part of the Kingdom of Poland. In 1335, the duchies were ceded to the Ki ...

, and spent the first 37 years of his life there.

Architecture

After a devastating fire occurred in 1737 in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional u ...

, he was called to rebuild Catholic St. Johns' Church, which in 1555 had been funded by German merchants. Glaubitz, who was among the leaders of the

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

community of Vilnius, is credited for developing a distinct Lithuanian school of

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means ...

, known as Vilnian Baroque, which is best reflected in the cityscape of the

Vilnius Old Town The Old Town of Vilnius ( lt, Vilniaus senamiestis, pl, Stare Miasto w Wilnie, be, Стары горад у Вільнюсе, russian: Старый город в Вильнюсe), one of the largest surviving medieval old towns in both Norther ...

. This has contributed to the widespread naming of Old Vilnius as the "City of Baroque". There are at least four churches in Vilnius reconstructed by Glaubitz, namely the Church of St. Catherine (1743),Christiane Bauermeister: ''Litauen'', 2007, Seite 70
Digitalisat
the (1750), the Church of St. Johns, the monastery gate and the towers of the Church of the Holy Trinity. The magnificent and dynamic Baroque facade of the formerly Gothic Church of St. Johns (1749) is mentioned among his best works. Many church interiors including the one of the Great Synagogue of Vilna were reconstructed by Glaubitz as well as the

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually ho ...

in 1769.

One of Glaubitz's notable buildings was the former

Carmelite , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

church of Glubokas (Hlybokaye), which he reconstructed in 1735; it is now the Orthodox Church of the Birth of

Theotokos ''Theotokos'' (Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are ''Dei Genitrix'' or '' Deipara'' (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations ar ...

. In 1746—1750 he restored Mscislaŭ Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Other towns with Glaubitz's architecture include Mogiliavas (Mogilev), Lyda (Lida), and the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Polotsk, all three in what is now

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

and

Daugavpils Daugavpils (; russian: Двинск; ltg, Daugpiļs ; german: Dünaburg, ; pl, Dyneburg; see other names) is a state city in south-eastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. The parts of the ...

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

. The Basilian Church and Monastery in Berezwecz, now part of Hlybokaye, was built in 1776 and demolished in the 1960s and 1970s. Its replica was constructed in

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Białystok is located in the Białystok U ...

in the 1990s.

References

Sources

* S. Lorentz, Jan Krzysztof Glaubitz - architekt wileński XVIII wieku, Warszawa 1937 *

External links

Church of Sts Peter and Paul

Church of Birth of Theotokos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glaubitz, Johann Christoph 1700s births 1767 deaths Polish Baroque architects Belarusian Baroque architects Lithuanian Baroque architects People from Świdnica Architects from Vilnius

Early life

Architecture

See also

References

Sources

External links