12 Pilies Street

Photographer – Tomas Kapočius
12 Pilies Street. 2018
Lithuanian Art Museum

Jan Bułhak (1876–1950), Janusz Bułhak (1906–1977)
Cathedral Chapter buildings [second and third from the left – 12 Pilies St.]. 1944
Lithuanian Art Museum

Jan Bułhak (1876–1950)
Courtyard in Pilies Street. 1912
Lithuanian Art Museum

The building consists of two brick houses built next to one another in the 16th century, which were named after the goldsmiths who lived there, Wolfgang and Clement. From the late 16th century, these two houses belonged to the royal pharmacist Stanisław Kędzierski, who transferred them to the prelate Benedykt Żuchorski in 1678 after they were severely damaged during the 1655 war against Muscovy. The reconstructed and re-plastered building was given a Baroque appearance. The Vilnius Cathedral Chapter inherited the building according to the prelate’s last will in 1695. It accommodated canons and some of the spaces were rented out to burghers of various professions: a baker, tavern-owner, vineyard owner, and others. In the inter-war years, the building housed a photography studio, and apartments were rented out to Vilnius University students. The building was damaged during a fire in 1944 and was left partly derelict. In 1957–1958, when the plaster was removed from the facades during reconstruction work, the remains of Late Gothic architecture were discovered. Both houses were combined under one address in 1960. The pediment was reconstructed in 1986.

© All rights reserved. 2025