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Saturday, 20.04.2024, 07:24
New, digital, life given to Vilnius’ image of Divine Mercy as Pope’s visit to Lithuanian capital nears
Photo: Go Vilnius. |
Vilnius’
Mayor, Remigijus Šimašius, said: “Historically,
religion always played a big role in Vilnius. The image of Divine Mercy that
originated here has had a huge impact, spreading to churches all over the
world. After being hidden for many years during Soviet occupation, the painting
now attracts thousands to the city each year. Now, with the help of technology,
we hope to bring it back to life again so that mlns can enjoy it. It’s an
example that shows religion and technology can co-exist, and also perfectly
represents how Vilnius is moving into the future with creativity and ingenuity
without forgetting about our past.”
The project
has been the initiative of Go Vilnius
(the city’s tourism and business development agency) and carried out by VGTU’s LinkMenų fabrikas, the innovation
and creativity centre of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU) with
support of Drone Team, a local 3D
scanning and modelling company.
After
successfully carrying out similar projects, including transferring an entire
church into virtual reality, or, gifting a nano-sized nativity scene to the
Pope for Christmas, the VGTU LinkMenų
fabrikas team used cutting-edge technology to meticulously scan every
millimetre of the painting and all its surroundings in order to create a
virtual environment that mirrors the shrine in every way.
“Each
century has found its own way of portraying it. In 1934 in Vilnius, the image
of Jesus as seen in a vision by a nun was painted on a canvas. The 21st
century provides us with new technological possibilities, such as virtual
reality, 3D scanning and modelling, which we used in this project,” said VGTU LinkMenų fabrikas’ Creative Project
Manager, Eglė Girdzijauskaitė.
Boasting
picturesque churches and narrow cobbled streets, Vilnius is a vibrant city of
contrasts. Known throughout the Catholic world as a major destination to pilgrims,
Vilnius has embraced the digital age, becoming a hi-tech hub and showcasing its
use of innovative technologies in different areas, including religion. Painted
in 1934 in Vilnius, the image of Divine Mercy has become an icon for Catholics
around the world and is one of the Catholicism’s most sacred treasures,
although few know of its Lithuanian origin.
The city
has officially unveiled the 3D model on the occasion of the Pope’s visit and is
inviting tourists from around the world to join him in taking a virtual look at
one of the world’s most important religious paintings. The 3D model is
accessible using virtual reality glasses as well as on its dedicated website, and allows believers from all
over the world to get as close access to the sacred painting as possible. All
possible from the comfort of one’s own home.
The city
attracts over 1 mln tourists every year, of which thousands are pilgrims.
Vilnius has been an important religious destination for over 400 years. With
its rich history and unique mosaic of churches, the image of Divine Mercy
serves as the ultimate site of pilgrimage in the city, with visitors travelling
many thousands of miles to see the painting and ask for blessing.
The 3D
format of the Shrine of Divine Mercy is available for the whole world to see
under www.divinemercy3d.com.