Dr. Darius Žukauskas, an art historian who completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Vytautas Kavolis Transdisciplinary Research Institute at Vytautas Magnus University in 2024–25, conducted research on the depiction of St John the Baptist in art. The study aimed to summarise the development of the cult and images of St John the Baptist, highlight their iconographic features in Lithuanian art and examine the influence of the cult on its development in Lithuania. The research aimed to summarise the development of the cult and images of St John the Baptist, highlight their iconographic features in Lithuanian Catholic churches from the 15th to 20th centuries, and evaluate these trends in a European context.
This study takes an interdisciplinary approach, employing historical, statistical, iconological and formal analysis methods. Analysis showed that the title of St John the Baptist was significant from the time of Lithuania’s baptism and became particularly popular after 1776, when he was declared the patron saint of the Diocese of Samogitia. Today, it is the second most common title in the system used by Lithuanian churches. The analysis also revealed that the title of St John the Baptist is associated with the most significant events in the history of the diocese.
The Prevalence of Images of St. John the Baptist and Iconographic Trends
A total of 332 images of St. John the Baptist were collected and analysed from 718 Catholic churches in Lithuania. This demonstrates the saint’s high liturgical and iconographic status. The analysis reveals that the saint is given significant liturgical and iconographic importance. The most common iconographic motifs are the baptism of Christ and the baptism of the adult Christ.
The study confirmed the hypothesis that the majority of images – 64.4% – depict the Baptism of Jesus. These images are most often found in baptisteries and on the first tiers of altars. Non-narrative images of John the Baptist account for 23.9% of images, of which almost half are found on altars and only 11% in baptisteries. These findings reveal a theological shift from the medieval depiction of John the Baptist as a martyr to an emphasis on the culmination of his mission – baptising Jesus – which highlights his identity and importance as a baptiser. In connection with baptismal fonts, images of the event serve as a representation of sacramental baptism.
The study identified 60 iconographic prototypes, the most popular of which were inspired by the works of Luigi Crosio, Pierre Mignard and Gustave Doré. Among Lithuanian artists, Motiejus Bučinskis is particularly notable. Thirteen paintings of John the Baptist have survived to this day.
Dissemination of Results and Directions for Further Research
Some of the results of this research were presented at the national conference ‘Tolyn senosios dailės tyrimų keliu’ (Further Along the Path of Old Art Research), the international conference ‘History, Culture, and Heritage of Manors in Central and Eastern Europe’, and at a public lecture during the ‘Versmės’ cultural symposium. A summary of trends in the cult and iconography of John the Baptist has been prepared for publication in the open-access scientific journal Logos. The research formed the basis for the concept of a future exhibition, for which a project application was submitted in 2026.
The study provides opportunities for further analysis of image typologies and iconologies, enabling individual groups of images or works to be contextualised within broader iconographic and cultural contexts.
Photo: Unsplash
