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See also:VILNA, or WILNO , a See also:town of See also:Russia, See also:capital of the See also:government of the same name, 436 M. S.S.W. of St See also:Petersburg, at the intersection of the See also:railways from St Petersburg to See also:Warsaw and from See also:Libau to the mouth of the See also:Don. Pop. (1883) 93,760; (1900) 162,633. With its suburbs Antokol, Lukishki, Pogulyanka and Sarechye, it stands on and around a See also:knot of hills (2450 ft.) at the confluence of the Vileika with the Viliya. Its streets are in See also:part narrow and not very clean; but Vilna is an old town, See also:rich in See also:historical associations. Its imperial See also:palace, and the See also:cathedral of St See also:Stanislaus (1387, restored 18os), containing the See also:silver See also:sarcophagus of St Casimir and the See also:tomb of See also:Prince Vitoft, are See also:fine buildings. There is a second cathedral, that of St See also:Nicholas, built in 1596–1604; also several churches dating
from the 14th to the 16th centuries. The See also:Ostra Brama See also:chapel contains an See also:image of the Virgin greatly venerated by Orthodox Greeks and See also:Roman Catholics alike. The museum of antiquities has valuable historical collections. The See also:ancient See also:castle of the Jagellones is now a See also:mass of ruins. The old university, founded in 1578, was restored (1803) by See also:Alexander I., but has been closed since 1832 for See also:political reasons; the only departments which remain in activity are the astronomical See also:observatory and a medical See also:academy. Vilna is an archiepiscopal see of the Orthodox See also:Greek See also:- CHURCH
- CHURCH (according to most authorities derived from the Gr. Kvpcaxov [&wµa], " the Lord's [house]," and common to many Teutonic, Slavonic and other languages under various forms—Scottish kirk, Ger. Kirche, Swed. kirka, Dan. kirke, Russ. tserkov, Buig. cerk
- CHURCH, FREDERICK EDWIN (1826-1900)
- CHURCH, GEORGE EARL (1835–1910)
- CHURCH, RICHARD WILLIAM (1815–189o)
- CHURCH, SIR RICHARD (1784–1873)
Church and an episcopal see of the Roman See also:Catholic Church, and the headquarters of the See also:governor-See also:general of the Lithuanian provinces and of the III. See also:army See also:corps. The See also:city possesses a botanical See also:garden and a public library, and is adorned with statues to See also:Catherine II. (1903), the poet See also:Pushkin and See also:Count M. See also:Muraviev (1898). It is an important centre for See also:trade in See also:timber and See also:grain, which are exported; and has theological seminaries, both Orthodox Greek and Roman Catholic, a military school, a normal school for teachers and professional See also:schools. It is the seat of many scientific See also:societies (See also:geographical, medical and archaeological), and has a See also:good antiquarian museum and a public library.
See also:History.—The territory of Vilna has been occupied by the See also:Lithuanians since the loth See also:century, and probably much earlier; their See also:chief fortified town, Vilna, is first mentioned in 1128. A See also:temple to the See also:god Perkunas stood on one of its hills till 1387, when it was destroyed by Prince Jagiello, after his See also:baptism. After 1323, when See also:Gedymin, prince of Lithuania, abandoned Troki, Vilna became the capital of Lithuania. The formerly See also:independent principalities of See also:Minsk and Lidy, as well as the territory of Disna, which belonged to the See also:Polotsk principality, were annexed by the Lithuanian princes, and from that See also:- TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
- TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
- TIME, STANDARD
time Vilna, which was fortified by a See also:- STONE
- STONE (0. Eng. shin; the word is common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Stein, Du. steen, Dan. and Swed. sten; the root is also seen in Gr. aria, pebble)
- STONE, CHARLES POMEROY (1824-1887)
- STONE, EDWARD JAMES (1831-1897)
- STONE, FRANK (1800-1859)
- STONE, GEORGE (1708—1764)
- STONE, LUCY [BLACKWELL] (1818-1893)
- STONE, MARCUS (184o— )
- STONE, NICHOLAS (1586-1647)
stone See also:wall, became the chief city of the Lithuanian See also:state. It was See also:united with See also:Poland when its prince, Casimir IV., was elected (1447) to the See also:Polish See also:throne. The See also:plague of 1588, a See also:fire in 1610 and still more the See also:wars between Russia and Poland, which began in the 17th century, checked its further growth. The Russians took Vilna in 1655, and in the following See also:year it was ceded to Russia. The Swedes captured
it in 1702 and in 1706. The Russians again took See also:possession of it in 1788; and it was finally annexed to Russia in 1795, after the See also:partition of Poland. Its Polish inhabitants took an active part in the risings of 1831 and 1863, for which they were severely punished by the See also:Russian government.
End of Article: VILNA, or WILNO
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