Past exhibitions

2026 january 28 d.–march 28 d.

Drawing on the long tradition and teaching of the Catholic Church, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1854 in the bull “Ineffabilis Deus”. The main artefacts of this exhibition are the original Lithuanian and Polish language manuscript albums of the bull “Ineffabilis Deus”, preserved in the Vatican Apostolic Library, as well as examples of Lithuanian folk devotional practices inspired by the bull. The Lithuanian translation of the bull from Latin was produced by Motiejus Valančius, Bishop of Samogitia.

The manuscripts display vivid Lithuanian motifs, created by created by Countess Marija Tyzenhauzaitė-Pšezdzeckienė of Rokiškis (Polish edition) and Idalija Sobianskytė-Broel-Platerienė (Lithuanian edition), who artistically designed the albums, who artistically designed the albums. The pages of the Lithuanian manuscript are decorated with illustrations, exquisitely rendering the images of the “blossoms of Lithuanian fields and forests.” The Polish version features numerous images of historical figures, cities, and shrines from Lithuania and Poland.

The exhibition reveals the circumstances surrounding the creation of the translations of the bulls, the efforts of compatriots to preserve the memory of Lithuania and Poland during the years of tsarist occupation and press censorship, and the expression of devotion to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lithuanian folk tradition. This is a rare opportunity to see up close documents that are usually kept in the Vatican Library's archives and to reassess the importance of Motiejus Valančius in Lithuanian cultural history.