RECREATION OF THE BELL TOWER
OF THE FRANCISCAN MONASTERY

Historic Introduction
Bell Tower of the Franciscan Monastery was built at the beginning of the 16th century. The Church was closed in 1864. Since then the Church and the Monastery were used by the Russian Governor administration for the archive, hospital, prison and other functions. The gothic Belfry of the Church was demolished in 1872. In the Soviet times the Church was used as a central state archive and the Monastery was used for various functions: storage, residential and services. Since 1991 the Palace of Science and Technique was established in the Monastery. The Church was restituted to the Catholic Church ownership in 1993.

Regeneration of the Area
First Vilnius Old Town Regeneration Project based on the thorough historic and archaeological investigation of the urban fabric of the area was prepared in 1956-58. Second Regeneration Project was worked out in 1970-75 and the Third Regeneration Project was revised in 1988-92. All projects planned recreation of lost urban spaces and in certain places - reconstruction of buildings. The recreation of the Franciscan Bell Tower was planned in the Third Regeneration Project, but the reconstruction was delayed because of lack of financial resources.

Recreation of the Bell Tower
Reconstruction project of the Bell Tower of the Franciscan Monastery was prepared in 1988 in the Institute of Monuments Restoration. According to the project the Palace of Science and Technique restored and reinforced the foundation of the Bell Tower in 1993, during the restoration of the main Monastery building.

The Reconstruction project presented arguments for the reconstruction:

- the Bell Tower had an outstanding artistic significance (as an important gothic monuments lost under compulsion);
- the Bell Tower had an outstanding urban environmental significance that may be recreated;
- historical documentation for the reconstruction is available (including iconographic material and photogrammetric measurement).

Activities to be taken
Today the heritage conservation specialists think that it is important to recreate the external historic image of the Bell Tower, adopting it to contemporary needs:

- exposition of modern telecommunication technologies;
- internet café;
- exposition of the building history and the recreation;
- information centre with library/reading-room.

Today it is necessary to update the project of the Bell Tower reconstruction according to the new needs and because of the possibility to use more modern construction technologies.