A nearly century-old empty sarcophagus in Vilnius Cathedral is waiting for the remains of one of Lithuania’s most revered rulers. This autumn, archaeologists will begin a new search for the remains of Grand Duke Vytautas the Great (c. 1350–1430), as part of a much broader effort to uncover the secrets of the cathedral’s past.
The Lithuanian government approved a plan in early July for scientific research aimed at investigating possible locations of Vytautas’ remains. It also approved a wider program of research into Vilnius Cathedral, including archaeological excavations, architectural studies, historical research and the examination of human remains.
The work is expected to create a database of people buried in the cathedral over different periods and a comprehensive bioarchive of samples taken from the remains.
Historians and archaeologists broadly agree that the research will significantly expand knowledge of the cathedral, where systematic investigations have never been carried out on this scale. But they are divided over whether the long-standing search for Vytautas’ remains will succeed.
The stone sarcophagus in the cathedral’s Chapter Crypt was made nearly 100 years ago and remains empty. Its inscription bears the date October 27, 1930, when Lithuania marked the 500th anniversary of Vytautas’ death.
