Bernardine Church and Monastery, Vilnius

This Gothic church stands beside the smaller Church of St. Anne on the edge of Vilnius's old town, forming one of the city's most photographed ensembles. Built by Bernardine friars from the late fifteenth century, its brick walls once formed part of the town's defences, and gun ports survive in the structure. The interior holds Gothic vaulting and later Baroque altars. Restored after decades of Soviet-era neglect, the church and its cloisters anchor a quarter of religious buildings near the Vilnia River.