An Unusual Monument to Sigismund Augustus and Barbara Radziwill, Whose Romantic Love Ended Tragically, Unveiled in Vilnius

The grand unveiling of the new sculpture "Sigismund and Barbara" took place on September 10, 2026. As reported by the publication Made in Vilnius, the project was realized through private donations, and the authors were sculptor Gediminas Pekūras and architect Aušra Gvildienė, who won the creative competition back in 2024.

A secluded courtyard was chosen as the location for the monument, opening towards the Vilnius castles and formed by a setback from the red line of Tadeusz Wroblewski Street, adjacent to the modernist wing of the local Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. The courtyard symbolically faces the former residence of the rulers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Behind the monument itself rises the wall of the eclectic palace of Klementyna Tyszkiewicz, the main seat of the library.

The Wroblewski Library is located next to the area where the Radziwill Palace on Pushkarnaya Street stood in the 16th century, and not far from the Lower Castle. According to urban legends, it was in this area that Sigismund Augustus ordered a bridge to be built across the Vilnia River (today its course has been changed) for secret visits to his beloved.

Павялічыць

The winner of the creative competition was determined back in December 2024, but the implementation and installation of the object took almost two years. The project budget, according to the initial competition terms, was limited to 50 thousand euros. The funding was fully provided by private individuals, including businessmen brothers Vizbaras, patron Vidmantas Martikonis, and former head of Vilnius University Library Birutė Butkevičienė.

During the opening ceremony, the organizers used the song "Pramotė" (Progenitress) by Icelandic singer Björk, released in 2024. Lines from the work, where the performer calls her skull a "cathedral," became the conceptual basis for the presentation. Library director Sigitas Narbutas noted during his speech that the sculptor created a unique two-towered cathedral for the city, preserving the memory of the golden age of the state.

Павялічыць

The sculptural composition radically deviates from traditional notions of monuments to lovers. The main element consists of two golden skulls — male and female, differing in size. On the left is the skull of Sigismund Augustus, on the right — Barbara Radziwill. Their anatomical details indicate that these are not abstract artistic images, but accurate copies of the original skulls of the royal figures.

Павялічыць

In 1931, a devastating flood occurred in Vilnius, which inundated the city center, and during rescue operations in the Vilnius Cathedral, researchers accidentally stumbled upon a royal crypt hidden since the 17th century, in which, among others, the remains of Barbara Radziwill with burial insignias were discovered.

The golden heads are placed on a pillow of gray granite, and the pedestal, resembling a stretched-out wide column on a low stylobate, is made of the same material. On the front side, the inscription in Lithuanian "Augustas" and "Barbora" is engraved, and below it are their personal coats of arms.

It is unclear whether this is a credit or a reproach to the authors, but the extraordinary visual contrast of this work should be noted.

The golden skulls appear paradoxically "alive" thanks to their anatomical accuracy and the properties of the material — a glow literally pours from within the empty eye sockets.

However, the pedestal, in contrast to them, looks artificial, cold, and soulless. Its form resembles a column stretched along one of its axes in a computer program, and then an automatic machine cut this 3D model from a solid stone. Another automated machine applied engravings with characteristic traces of mechanical, non-manual work. This creates the impression that the pedestal entirely lacks the human touch.

The couple met in 1544 — exactly 482 years ago. After a secret marriage in Vilnius in July 1547, Barbara was solemnly crowned in Krakow in December 1550. However, already in May 1551, she died after a serious illness. Fulfilling his wife's last will, Sigismund Augustus walked on foot behind her coffin from Krakow to Vilnius. The body of the Grand Duchess still rests today in a chapel of the Vilnius Cathedral.

Before meeting the king, Barbara Radziwill lived on the Geraniony estate, being in her first marriage to the Trakai Voivode Stanisław Gasztołd. Her figure also became the basis for the most famous Belarusian urban legend about the "Black Lady of Nesvizh," according to which the spirit of the deceased queen was summoned by Sigismund during a visit to the Radziwill residence in Nesvizh.

Павялічыць

Before the appearance of Gediminas Pekūras' new composition, the most famous embodiment of the Grand Duchess's image in Vilnius was the sculpture by Vladas Vildžiūnas on German Street. It was created in 1982, and during Soviet rule, it was officially forbidden to name the monument after Barbara Radziwill — in documents, it was referred to exclusively as a decorative urban element.

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