Published: 20260304
Every year, as spring begins to knock on the door, the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania remembers Prince Saint Casimir. On March 4th, we celebrate Saint Casimir's name day. In modern times, this day is inseparable from the Kaziukas Fair, a tradition dating back to the 17th century that began as a religious feast to honor the patron saint of Lithuania.
The Palace of the Grand Dukes Museum exhibition "Heritage coming home" displays Lithuanian-themed works that have returned from foreign auctions and antique shops after many years. This exhibition opens with a painting by the famous Italian artist and member of the academies of Bologna and Verona, Saverio Dalla Rosa (1745–1821), titled "St. Casimir Adoring the Mother of God."
As one of the most valuable artworks in the exhibition, returned to the Palace Museum from a private collection in Munich, it depicts the Lithuanian saint with a white lily–a symbol of purity and modesty–and a sovereign's crown laid at the feet of St. Mary, along with a royal ermine mantle emphasizing his lineage.
Interestingly, when the painting arrived at the Palace Museum, experts uncovered a previously unnoticed inscription. Closer inspection revealed the artist's signature and the date on a band at the bottom of the painting: S A ROS AD 1788 (SAVREIO DALA ROSA ANNO DOMINI 1788). A rose painted nearby may be a reference to the artist's surname, as "rosa" means "rose" in Italian.
The original location where the painting was displayed has also been identified—it is believed to have been the Jesuit Church of St. Joseph in Vitebsk. At the beginning of the 19th century, the church was converted into an Orthodox church, and Catholic symbols were removed. The subsequent fate of the painting is unclear, but by 1925, it belonged to a private collection in Germany. Restorer Virginija Liūgienė discovered that an identical painting of St. Casimir exists in the Church of St. Simon and Jude Thaddeus in Lioliai, Kelmė district. That copy was painted around 1854, leading to the assumption that after the church in Vitebsk was closed, the original painting remained in Lithuania for some time before reaching Germany.
Saint Casimir (1458–1484) was a Prince of Poland and Lithuania, the son of Casimir Jagiellon, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. When Prince Casimir was thirteen, his father sent him to Hungary to claim the throne. During the journey, Casimir was shaken by human cruelty–looting, uprisings over unpaid mercenaries, and violence. He became deeply devout and chose an ascetic life.
In the spring of 1475, Prince Casimir arrived in Vilnius and spent time at the residence of the Grand Duke of Lithuania located in the Lower Castle, where his father, Casimir Jagiellon, managed the affairs of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Casimir died of tuberculosis in Grodno at the young age of twenty-six.
After the prince's death, stories of his miracles began to spread, with rumors that he could heal those suffering from incurable diseases. In 1602, Casimir was canonized as a saint, and in the 17th century–during difficult times of war and plague–he was declared the patron saint of Lithuania.
The exhibition "Heritage Coming Home: Paintings Acquired 2018–2025" will be open at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania until August 16th.
