On Bernardine Cemetery angel without a head: vandals or nature misbehaviour?

On Bernardine cemetery in Vilnius the angel who was standing on high pedestal was hurt again. The sculpture is near main gate of cemetery. “Kurier Wileński” was informed about the incident by Jadwiga Pietkiewicz, our true reader, perennial patroness of Vilnius cemeteries.

– The sculpture of angiel was not devastated for the first time. Probably this act of vandalism was last night from Wednesday to Thursday. On Thursday the angel had broken head, which laid destroyed on the ground. It is tough to say who the vandals were. The cemetery is often visited by youngsters who wear black clothes with chains on their clothes but I did not see that they devastate anything. They often sit next to the chapel and smoke cigarettes – said Mrs. Jadwiga.

In her opinion this is act of blurring the Polish marks on the cemetery.

• In Soviet times necropolises were awfully devastated and robbed, I often hear these days when people say that was the communists who were destroying the cemeteries. But nowadays the same things happen. It looks like someone is very keen on blurring the Polish marks. Only the monuments with Polish names are being destroyed. The angel was placed on the cemetery in the last century, It has new wings and hand. The last pieces were broken by vandals a few years ago. This sculpture survived two wars and its head was devastated – perennial patroness of the Vilnius cemeteries did not hide her grief.

She told that many years ago the Vilnius necropolis was very well cared. – In the 40s my uncle was the director of the cemetery which belonged to Bernardian church and its patron was rector canon priest Jan Kretowicz. In those days the cemetery was well-maintained and fenced with the walls. In the night it was lightened with lamps with elaborated avenues and it was sinking with the flowers. Next to the cemetery entrance the pole was standing and on it was the information board what you can do on the cemetery and what cannot – added Mrs. Jadwiga. She told us too that she asked for help Embassy of Republic of Poland in Vilnius.

– I came to the cemetery just a while after the incident, I took pictures. I saw the head of the angel on the ground, and while I was walking carefully near the grave the branch was laying on the ground. It may be that this branch took his head away. I cannot say if this was act of vandalism or the wind broke the branch. I did not catch anyone in the act. We wrote the letter the same day do department director in metropolitan local government who cares for cultural heritage. We did not got the answer yet – said for “Kurier Wileński” Stanisław Cyganowski – general consul of Republic of Poland in Vilnius.

On the bernardian cemetery which has more than 200 years rest many generations of citizens of Vilnius who did very much for the capital: famous botanists Józef and Stanisław Jundził, literary critic Leon Borowski, mathematician Franciszej Narwojsz, the painter Kanuty Rusicki, father of Vilnius photography Józef Czechowicz, the photographer Stanisław Filibert Fleury, Władysław Zahorski – historian, doctor, and author of famous “Vilnius Guide” and many other who did very much for the capital, with them the history of the Vilnius and nation was made. The bernardian necropolis is on the list of the most beautiful cemeteries in Europe. This old cemetery is guarded by the country as an object of cultural heritage.