<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">We present the application of dendrochronological dating of the renovation and construction works of churches in the Kaunas and Vilnius regions of Lithuania. The model for the estimation of the missing rings of Scots pine was used in Lithuania for the first time. We have assessed 18 timber cross-sections from nine churches, which were used for the constructions from the second half of the 17th to 19th c. The oldest wood samples were dated from St. Michael’s Church in Vilnius (1668±4) and St. George, the Martyr, (Bernardine) Church in Kaunas (1693±3). The aim of this study was to compare the results of the investigation of timber samples from 9 churches with archival sources and literature data and to reveal the renovation history of the buildings. The study of written historical sources has revealed a lack of recorded building and reconstruction phases of the churches. This fact was later confirmed by the results of dendrochronological dating. The dating of the timber revealed undocumented reconstruction dates in Zapyškis church (1791±3), St. George, the Martyr, (Bernardine) Church in Kaunas (1711±4), St. Anne Church in Skaruliai (1693±3) and Vilnius Cathedral (1814±4).</abstract>

We present the application of dendrochronological dating of the renovation and construction works of churches in the Kaunas and Vilnius regions of Lithuania. The model for the estimation of the missing rings of Scots pine was used in Lithuania for the first time. We have assessed 18 timber cross-sections from nine churches, which were used for the constructions from the second half of the 17th to 19th c. The oldest wood samples were dated from St. Michael’s Church in Vilnius (1668±4) and St. George, the Martyr, (Bernardine) Church in Kaunas (1693±3). The aim of this study was to compare the results of the investigation of timber samples from 9 churches with archival sources and literature data and to reveal the renovation history of the buildings. The study of written historical sources has revealed a lack of recorded building and reconstruction phases of the churches. This fact was later confirmed by the results of dendrochronological dating. The dating of the timber revealed undocumented reconstruction dates in Zapyškis church (1791±3), St. George, the Martyr, (Bernardine) Church in Kaunas (1711±4), St. Anne Church in Skaruliai (1693±3) and Vilnius Cathedral (1814±4).

The Building and Renovation History of Vilnius and Kaunas Churches: Dendrochronological Dating and Historical Sources

Art History & Criticism

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

We present the application of dendrochronological dating of the renovation and construction works of churches in the Kaunas and Vilnius regions of Lithuania....

The Building and Renovation History of Vilnius and Kaunas Churches: Dendrochronological Dating and Historical Sources

Published Online: Jan 24, 2020

Page range: 18 - 28

Received: Sep 05, 2017

Accepted: Oct 02, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/mik-2017-0002

Keywords
tree rings, dating, Scots pine, Lithuania, sapwood, the architecture of Kaunas and Vilnius regions, the history of Lithuanian architecture

© 2017 Gabija Surdokaitė-Vitienė et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The Building and Renovation History of Vilnius and Kaunas Churches: Dendrochronological Dating and Historical Sources

Published Online: Jan 24, 2020

Page range: 18 - 28

Received: Sep 05, 2017

Accepted: Oct 02, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/mik-2017-0002

Keywordstree rings, dating, Scots pine, Lithuania, sapwood, the architecture of Kaunas and Vilnius regions, the history of Lithuanian architecture

© 2017 Gabija Surdokaitė-Vitienė et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
tree rings, dating, Scots pine, Lithuania, sapwood, the architecture of Kaunas and Vilnius regions, the history of Lithuanian architecture