In the ruins of the temple, where the altar stood, a cross of victory was erected, the craftsmen did not touch it even building the church on the foundations of the destroyed temple. The symbol of redemption of mankind remained in the middle of the cathedral, which was open during the day and at night. The former cathedral didn't look like the current one. The first church built by Jogaila in Lithuania remained intact only for twelve years. It burned to the ground during a big fire which broke out in 1399. It was anticipated to hold the coronation ceremony of Vytautas the Great as King of Lithuania in Vilnius. The cathedral had to be built for that occasion, so the building works were hastened. The Vytautas’ cathedral was larger, more spacious, and more magnificent than Jogaila's. At the beginning of the 15th century, there were two altars: the Holy Cross and St. Mykolas Archangel’s, next to the latter, in the crypt Vytautas himself and his first wife Ona were buried.
Research shows that during the reign of King Mindaugas, the first cathedral in Lithuania was functioning at this spot. The remains of the foundations of the square building were found in the basements of the western part of the cathedral.
The Cathedral of Mindaugas had both Romanesque and Gothic architectural features.
When Vytautas was building a church, he forgot to build a cross on the site of the old church. It is said that Bishop Mykolas attended the services of the cathedral and, kneeling in the exquisitely carved and silk-covered cloister, prayed fervently. Suddenly, great fatigue came over him and he fell asleep. Just as he had closed his eyes, he saw the first bishop Andrius, who died a dozen years ago, who, illuminated by a strange light, took out a large wooden cross from the sacristy, placed it in the place of the old cross and disappeared. Bishop Mykolas woke up right away and could not shake off the impression of that astonishing dream. After the service, the bishop told his dream to the gathered priests and the parson of the cathedral, Valentas, recalled the words of the old man who recently visited the Cathedral, that a wooden cross should be built in the old place. It turned out that the deceased bishop's soul had visited the cathedral.
When Grand Duke Vytautas found out about it, he built a magnificent Altar of the St. Cross, furnished it expensively and ordered a dark wooden cross with a small but very neatly carved ivory figure of the Crucified, to be hung above. That figure of the Crucified survived through all the fires and wars and is still nailed to the wooden cross, which is carried in processions, and kept in the sacristy of the cathedral.
After the death of Vytautas, during the centuries several fires broke out in the cathedral. Due to the frequent fires, wars and unstable soil under the foundation, the Vilnius Cathedral was repeatedly rebuilt. The most famous foreign and local architects and artists led the reconstruction of the architectural monument of great importance. The current building is of the classicist style (architect - Laurynas Stuoka-Gucevičius), but traces of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque are visible too.
The patron saint of Lithuania and the youth the St. Casimir, the bishops of Vilnius, and the rulers and the nobles of Lithuania are buried in the crypts and chapels of the cathedral.
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