Worth seeing for the side altars alone. The one to the right of the entrance I believe is St Casimir and that is very impressive. The area behind the altar and the colour of the marble are particularly striking. The chapel on the other side of the church half way up has an interesting reliquary also. Myself I prefer the orthodox churches but this is admittedly very imposing.

The Cathedral Basilica of St Stanislaus and St Ladislaus of Vilnius is located in the Old Town of Vilnius at the Cathedral Square, in the very center of the city, on the site of a former pagan temple and next to Vilnius defensive castle. This cathedral is the earliest established church in Vilnius, a symbol of Lithuanian baptism and it is the seat of the Archdiocese of Vilnius. The coronations of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania took place here. Many famous people of Lithuanian and Polish history are buried in the crypts and catacombs including Lithuania’s patron saint St. Casimir, Vytautas: a ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and his wife Anna or the heart of the Polish King and Grand Duke of Lithuania Władysław IV Vasa, the rest of his body is buried in the Wawel Cathedral in Kraków. You can witness here various styles, including neoclassicism, and the earlier centuries are clearly visible in side chapels that feature various architectural styles which used to be popular in Lithuania. The lower half of the cathedral’s belfry is in fact a former defensive tower of the lower Vilnius Castle. Tiles of different colors mark the places on the square where the defensive wall used to stand. Next to the Cathedral The National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania is situated which is the 2nd most visited museum in Lithuania- 598 192 visitors (2019).

The cathedral has some interesting history because it was established while paganism was still very popular so when the king who built it died it became a place of pagan worship before becoming Christian again. You can check out artifacts from this time including a collection of pagan items at the nearby Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania Museum as well as royal artifacts from the crypts. We spent about 15 minutes inside the church just walking around and admiring the artwork and unique features. We would have spent more here because we were interested in seeing the crypts but we found out that these are only open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for English tours and a booking needs to be made in advance. We included the cathedral in a self guided walking tour of Vilnius because there are many attractions nearby. There are also many good restaurants to the south and east of the cathedral. Between the cathedral and bell tower there is a "miracle" tile where you can make a wish if you stand there or spin three times. This tile also marked the beginning of the human chain for the Baltic Way from Vilnius.

A spectacular church, a must-see in Vilnius Old Town. The outside looks like an ancient Greek Temple (you can get a better view of the decorations from the top of the Bell Tower). The inside is also good to see especially for the side altars and the chapel of St. Casimir. To get to see the Crypts of the Cathedral, you need to reserve a place on a guided tour from the Cathedral Bell Tower information desk.