In short

The Statue of the Annalist commemorates one of the most important printers in the region of Vilnius, Pranciškus Skorina. This man's printing house became the royal printing house of that era, and he himself entered the Lithuanian history books for being the first person to print the first book in Lithuania. While this first book was written in Ruthenian rather than Lithuanian, it still helped boost the relevance of our nation.

You can visit the sculpture on Stiklių Street. It is small and harmonious, depicting a seated man with a book on his knees. It is intended as a memorial to the Mamoničiai printing house that operated in the adjacent house, and to honour the memory of Skorina, the pioneer of printing in Lithuania.

Brief History

The Annalist is a pink granite decorative sculpture that was built during the Soviet era without permission from the government. Therefore, nobody at the time acknowledged whom it was meant to represent or honour, so it was simply called the Annalist.

The history of the courtyard in the Old Town of Vilnius dates back to the 15th-16th centuries when the Mamoničiai printing house was operating in the adjacent courtyard. During its lifetime, it became the most important establishment in Vilnius and received the name and privileges of a royal printing house. It is also believed that this was the site of the first printing press of Pranciškus Skorina (1490-1541), who was an activist of the GDL of Ruthenian origin. Skorina printed Lithuania’s first book, which was written in the old Ruthenian language.

The piece was the diploma work of sculptor Vaclovas Krutinis, a student at the Art Institute. Originally, the sculpture was only supposed to be located there temporarily, but it has stood at this place for more than 40 years.