Souvenir
Object number2012.64.6
OriginLithuania
Mediumbronze
Credit LineGift of Sister Francesca Walls
DescriptionSouvenir pin. Rectangular bronze plate with rounded and decorated border and straight pin mounted on reverse at center. Text engraved in center of obverse is place name.Dimensions1.625 x 0.75 in. (4.1 x 1.9 cm)InscriptionsText engraved in center of obverse "PAZAISLIS".
MarksMaker's mark embossed on reverse "21K."
Historical NotesThe country's finest example of Italian baroque architecture can be seen at the Pazaislis Monastery and church in Kaunas, the largest monastery complex in Lithuania. Converted to an Orthodox church by the Russians in 1832, the church was also used as an archive, a psychiatric hospital, and an art gallery in its time before being returned to the Catholic order in the 1990s and reconstructed to its former glory. Souvenir from Lithuania collected by the Franciscan nuns in Whitehall, particularly Sister Francesca Walls. Sister Francesca was born in 1910 to Lithuanian immigrants. She joined the convent in Whitehall and became a teacher of music, art, and home economics. She was actively involved in the Pittsburgh community and participated in events such as the Pittsburgh Folk Festival. Her true passion was educating people regarding Lithuanian culture and preserving it. She was known for her Lithuanian crafts and her incorporation of Lithuanian music and language into her lesson plans. She created many “Pass and Read” binders so more people could be informed on what was happening in Lithuania today.
Previous owner
Sister Francesca Walls
(born 1910)
Related institution
Pažaislis Monastery and the Church of the Visitation
On View
Not on view
