Who Owns the Heart of Vilnius? Pagans, Catholics, and Contested National Religious Heritage

Abstract

The paper aims to contribute to the expansion of a cultural-geographical scope of studies on heritage contested by Pagans and a better understanding of construction of the religious and the secular in inter-religious heritage contestation. The presented case involves multiple stakeholders and a direct clash of the Catholic church and contemporary Pagans over a contested heritage site currently referred to as the archcathedral and the Cathedral Square located in the historical center of Vilnius, Lithuania. Based on observations of communal practices of Romuva, a community of contemporary Lithuanian Pagans, discourses and actions of the Catholic church and representatives of the Vilnius City Municipality and other relevant secular institutions, the analysis looks at both discursive and performative strategies employed by participants.