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About me
My name is Ricardo Batista, I was born in Faro, Portugal 17 years ago. I am going to be on Lithuania for basically a month for an internship done within an Erasmus project.
Monday (23/05)
Reception of the students on the integrated on the project by the entity, planning of the activities that will be required for the entity by every single one of the students.
Lunch hour, at this time we have defined a restaurant to eat regularly, so that we could have a guaranteed dinner every day until the end of the internship.
In the afternoon we decided to make a cultural tour, visiting a church in Vilnius (Church of Our Lady of the Sign, Vilnius) that is a very important historical landmark because during the both world wars the church remained opened to the public and never closed.
Tuesday (24/05)
Reunion at the entity to further explore our activities and exactly what will be done in the duration of the internship
Wednesday (25/05)
Today we went to a visit around Vilnius, in which we saw an amazing bridge that very divides the town between its mod cleverly divides the city between its modern and older part, and after that near the center of the city we checked the building of the republic assembly of Lithuania.
Thursday (26/05)
Begging of the development of the projects attributed to the students by for the entity. My first task was to fix a MacBook Pro mid-2012 with Ricardo Paulino, in that laptop we analyzed the computer to understand the reason why it was so slow, we identified the reason to be the HDD of the computer that needed to be replaced by an SSD.
Friday (27/05)
With a new SSD in hands we were able to change the HDD for an SSD and installed the operating system on it. A needed upgrade that made the 10 year-old computer feel really fast compared to before, after it documents were given to us to organize.
Saturday (28/05)
Visit to the Vilnius TV Tower.
The Television Tower is the Fight for Freedom Museum, which serves as a reminder of the events that took place there on the night of 13th January 1991, when Lithuanians won their independence. Small granite obelisks near the TV tower commemorate the 12 defenders who lost their lives that night. The Vilnius Television Tower is the tallest building in the country and is rightfully ranked among the tallest television towers in the world. At 326.5 metres, it’s 8th-tallest in Europe and 26th in the world.
Sunday (29/05)
Development of the blog and of the projects done at work, organizing and designing documents, also a logo was designed. Visit to a festival and a natural park nearby it as it was suggested by our supervisor.
Monday (30/05)
In the morning we went to the agency to work and develop the projects we have been working on, designing logos and organizing documents, tasks we very deeply adore and very programmer things to do, in the afternoon we have stayed in the hotel so that we could rest a bit since that it was raining. We finally had a meal with rice.
Tuesday (31/05)
So today we went to the agency to do our very interesting tasks, we designed documents and organized them, then we went for lunch earlier because in the afternoon we had scheduled a walk to see the green lake, a very important and beautiful landmark of the city.
Wednesday (01/06)
Today the documents were over and as such we were told to stay at home, resting doing other activities, like planning future trips to other landmarks of Vilnius, updating the blog and walking around town to decide the companies that we were going to visit and request internships to.
Thursday (02/06)
Today me and my colleague Kauan have decided what to change in the design of a website, after that I went back to organize the documents and design the template of the STEAM project, and after it we organized our trip to Trakai, making sure we had everything done and planed for the next day.
Friday (03/06)
Today we went to Trakai as suggested by our supervisor, we have visited the entire town and the castle within it, a very interesting monument to admire, and a very important church.
Historical significance
Construction: The castle was built in the 15th century by Kęstutis, finished around the end of the first decade of the century by his son, Vytautas the great, who died in the castle in 1430. Trakai was one of the centers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and as such this castle held great strategic importance. The castle was built in three main phases.
First phase:
During the first phase, in the second half of the 14th century, the castle was constructed on the largest of three lake islands by the order of Grand Duke Kęstutis. The construction of Trakai Island Castle was related to the expansion and strengthening of the Trakai Peninsula Castle. Kęstutis moved his main residence and his treasury to the Island Castle.
The castle suffered major devastation during an attack by the Teutonic knights in 1377. After the assassination of Kęstutis, a power struggle between Jogaila and Vytautas the Great for the title of Grand Duke of Lithuania began. The castle was besieged by both sides. Soon after the reconciliation between Jogaila and Vytautas, the second phase of construction started and continued until 1409. This phase is regarded as the major development in the history of the castle. Apparently, during the truce with the Teutonic Order, the construction works were supervised by the Order's stonemason Radike, four years before the Battle of Grunwald.
Second phase:
During the second phase, two wings were added, and on the southern side a six-storey (35 metres or 115 feet) keep was built. The keep had movable gates which separated the palace from the castle. The keep was used for several functions; besides serving as another defensive structure, it had a chapel and living quarters. It was linked to the multi-storey Ducal Palace, which had an inner yard. The inner yard had wooden galleries, which ran around the inner wall; these galleries were used to access various support facilities without going inside the palace itself.
The entire southern wing of the southern palace was used for the Ducal Hall. This hall was around 10 by 21 metres (33 ft × 69 ft) in size, and only the Upper Palace in the Vilnius Castle Complex could surpass its proportions.
Castle walls and corner tower
The principal construction material was so-called red Gothic bricks. Stone blocks were used only in the foundations and the upper parts of buildings, towers and walls. The castle was decorated in a variety of ways, including glazed roof tiling, burned bricks, and stained glass windows. Its overall style after the second construction phase could be described as Gothic with some Romanesque features.
The third phase
The expansion of the castle in the early 15th century marked the third phase of Trakai's development. The walls of the castle were strengthened to a thickness of 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) and raised with additional firing galleries. Three major defensive towers were constructed on the corners. The south-western tower was also used as a prison. The top story of the towers was designed for soldiers and housed a large number of cannons. A main gatehouse was also constructed which, along with the Ducal Palace keep, had movable gates. The gatehouse was reinforced with additional sections for firing galleries. Near the inner walls several buildings were constructed, including stables, kitchens, and other support structures. When the castle was undergoing this expansion in the 15th century, the water level of Lake Galvė was several metres higher than it is today. The castle builders took advantage of this by separating the Ducal Palace and the castle with a moat, just wide enough for small boats to sail through. They were connected by gates that could be raised in case of an enemy attack.
The fall of the castle as military center
Trakai Island Castle lost its military importance soon after the Battle of Grunwald, when the chief enemy of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was defeated by the Polish-Lithuanian army. The castle was transformed into a residence and newly decorated from the inside. New frescos were painted on its walls, which have been partially preserved. Foreign emissaries were welcomed in the Ducal Palace. It is known that Jogaila visited the castle thirteen times between 1413 and 1430. In 1414, the Flemish traveler Guillebert de Lannoy described the castle in these words:
The old castle stands on one side of the lake, in open ground, the another one stands in the middle of a second lake, and is within a cannon shot of the old one. It is completely new, built from bricks following French pattern.
Grand Duke Vytautas the Great died in the castle without being crowned as King of Lithuania in 1430. During the rule of Sigismund Augustus, the castle was redecorated in a Renaissance style, and it served as the royal summer residence for a short period of time. Lithuanian Metrica was kept in the castle until 1511. Later, the castle served as a prison. During the wars with Muscovy in the 17th century, the castle was damaged and was not reconstructed again. It gradually fell into disrepair.
Reconstruction
During the 19th century, castle reconstruction plans were prepared. Its original frescos were preserved and copied by Wincenty Smokowski. The Imperial Archaeological Commission initiated the documentation of the remaining castle in 1888. In 1905, the Imperial Russian authorities decided to partially restore the castle ruins. During World War I, Germans brought in their specialists, who made several attempts to restore the castle. Between 1935 and 1941, parts of the Ducal Palace walls were strengthened, and the south-eastern castle tower was rebuilt, including sections of its walls. Lithuanian and Polish preservationists worked on the project, but the work stopped when the war gained in intensity. A major reconstruction project was begun in 1946; active work started in 1951–1952. The major portion of the reconstruction was finished in 1961. The castle was reconstructed in a 15th-century style.
Trakai Island Castle is now a major tourist attraction that receives thousands of people every year.
Church of the visitation of the blessed virgin Mary
In our visit to Trakai we have also visited a very important landmark in the city, stands in Trakai surrounded by lakes, the Basilica of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, founded by Grand Duke Vytautas in the 15th century has an irregular shaped form with harmoniously intertwined gothic and baroque features. Opened fresco fragments in the walls of the church recall the Byzantine-era style that was used in Trakai Island Castle.
The Basilica is a treasure trove of sacred and fine art – there are easel paintings, memorial monuments, various relics, wine glasses, 18th – century candlesticks, a sanctuary lamp and more. A painting, depicting Mary, Mother of God is especially important since it is widely known for its miracles and graces. This first gold crowned painting officially blessed by Pope Clemence XI during the period of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was given the title Protector of the Sick. Interestingly, the painting is revered by Catholic, Orthodox, and Muslim communities alike.
From 1st September 2017 to 8th September 2018, Trakai Basilica celebrates the coronation of the Basilica’s famous painting; 2018 was declared the year of Trakai Mother of God, patron saint of Lithuania while the new Basilica’s bells, blessed in 2017, are a solemn reminder of the festive year.
Every year the Trakai temple is visited by many faithful not only from Lithuania. Special celebrations, such as the annual Žolinės (Feast of the Assumption) and Trakinės (Trakai Mother of God image coronation celebration), attract pilgrims from neighboring countries and elsewhere. The festival faithful partake in a procession from the Gates of Dawn to the Trakai Basilica, a distance of nearly 30 kilometres
Trakai basilica
Spiritual centre of Trakai, the Basilica of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, has an exclusive history. It was never closed, never served another faith community nor was it used for any purposes other than religious.
This church is not only a unique monument of religious and Lithuanian cultural history. Special criteria of Domus Ecclesiae, a decree of Divine Worship and Liturgy, was used in the process of granting the very honorable title of basilica. The criteria are applied both for the building itself and the living Church – its flock of believers. The exclusive historical importance of the church for the region and the country were acknowledged, as was the solemnity of the building and religious community’s dissemination of faith and love.
The title of basilica also underlines the church’s special ties with the Pope, since Trakai Basilica has had the Mother of God Image in the main altar for 600 years and 300 years ago Pope Clemence XI bestowed the image with the crowns. It is also important to note that there is a monument of Pope John Paul II, consecrated in 2015, in the churchyard of Trakai Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The title of Basilica also carries with it the obligation to lead other churches by an active social life, pastoral care, and organization of liturgical ceremonies. Basilicas allow people to familiarize themselves with Papal documents and are visited by pilgrims and those who yearn for spiritual guidance.
Masses in the Basilica of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary are celebrated daily in Lithuanian and Polish.
Mother of God Image
The image of Blessed Virgin Mary with the Infant in her arms was widely known throughout the Grand Duchy of Lithuania well before it received recognition from the Pope. From the very beginning of the 17th century people began applying votes to the image, for example, small heart-shaped articles and chaplets made of precious metals, as thanks for graces received. It is estimated that today there are over 400 votes applied to the Mother of God image!
This original 15th– century painting with gothic features holds a special historical meaning. The underside of the image has an inscription denoting that it is a gift from the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos to the ruler of Lithuania Grand Duke Vytautas to commemorate his baptism. The same inscription also says it is Mother of God Nikopea, which in Greek language means ‘the victorious’. It is believed Nikopea helped the emperor to break the Persian siege and return to Constantinople at the beginning of the 12th century and this was the reason why Byzantine emperors made this Mother of God theirs and their capital’s patron saint.
The miraculous image in the main altar of Trakai Basilica was repainted several times throughout the centuries. After examination by restorers it became clear that an earlier image of Mary was in the gothic style, Blessed Virgin Mary was standing, without a scarf, and possibly with a crown of roses on her head. The image probably appeared to be too large for the new altar and therefore the lower part was cut off, the background was etched and painted gold anew, the figure of Mary was repainted in the Byzantine style, and a golden crown that once adorned the image itself, now hangs above the picture. The image of Mary with the Infant fascinates with its rims made of forged silver tin and golden wreaths gifted by the Pope. The finely etched golden background that dates back to the juncture of the 15th and 16th centuries was shaved and also etched anew.
The Bells
In 2017, the jubilee year, when the main altar of the Basilica was consecrated, new bells were solemnly blessed as well. They were cast in the famous foundry run by the Kruševski brothers in the Polish town of Węgrów. The main bell is dedicated to Trakai Mother of God, patron saint of Lithuania. It weighs an astounding 700 kilograms! The second one, a little bit smaller, marks the centenary of the restoration of Lithuania’s independence.
Jubilee Years 2017 and 2018
The period of 1st September 2017 to 8th September 2018 is a special year. The Trakai Basilica (which was given the title of Basilica by Pope Francis) marks the 300th anniversary since the image of the Mother of God was crowned. Moreover, it is one hundred years since the restoration of the State of Lithuania. The Lithuanian bishops and the Lithuanian Parliament declared 2018 the year of the Mother of God, patron saint of Lithuania. The new basilica bells solemnly proclaim the pronouncement.
The importance of the Trakai Mother of God image is unquestionable. There are number of sacred and cultural events held during the anniversary year of the coronation of her image: an international Mariology congress, lectures on specific topics, conferences, also a monthly event ‘A Prayer for the Town and the Motherland’ invites people to pray for peace and the welfare of people in Lithuania and the whole world.
Saturday (04/06)
Today we decided to get some rest and stay at home since that our budget for the weekends was pretty much all in use and we did not have anything else to see in Vilnius. We finished some tasks including the blog and planning of future trips.
Sunday (05/06)
Today we decided to visit the akropolis shopping center as we did not have anything planned and we did not want to stay another day at the hotel, we lunch there visited the stores just to check it out.
Monday (06/06)
Today as usual we went to work in the morning, when we got there we did the same thing we always do, organizing and designing documents, the task that we recurrently do and we so much deeply love. In the afternoon we went to the laundry to get our clothes cleaned.
Tuesday (07/06)
Today we have discussed and decided the companies to visit tomorrow, we have done so that the students coming next year would not have to organize and design documents.
Wednesday (08/06)
Today we have visited the companies discussed yesterday, such as Microsoft, IBM, Huawei, SAP, Accenture, Glera Games and so on.
Thursday (09/06)
Today we went to the agency as usual to do our work, and when we finished it we dedicated our time to this very blog so that it could be complete, then we had lunch and we went home, after it we went to a Porsche car exposition to see some of the models of the brand in display, we even saw a lego made one.
Friday (10/06)
Today we went to visit to the nacional library of Lithuania as recommended by our supervisor.
Saturday (11/06)
Today we went to Riga, the capital of Latvia, we visited most the city, and I have to say it wasn’t very great, it is a good town but does not have a lot of interesting monuments and/or museums and the ones that do exist are not that great.
Sunday (12/06)
Today we have stayed at home resting from yesterday’s trip and watched a movie at the hotel
Monday (13/06)
Today we went to the agency as usual but today the day was spent differently. A team from Roboticus Academija visited the agency and presented us the next generation of a robot we have used in school (EV3), the Spike, and allowed us to use it, a very interesting piece with a lot of ways to design a assemble robot, with motors, sensors, batteries and so on. The best part is that this can be used with actual programming instead of blocks.
Tuesday (14/06)
Today we went to the agency to do our work and continue on the robots project, me and my colleague João built a robot that was able to recognize the different colours of the blocks that were presented in front of it, and then after it it would place them on the correct place.
Wednesday (15/06)
Today we went to visit the presidential palace, more specifically the museum inside of it, a very interesting place explaining the history of the various Lithuanian presidents and the various sectors of the country, gifts that it has received over the years, medals that the personality’s of the country have obtained and a shirt signed by Cristiano Ronaldo, person that a president is a big fan of due to his big devotion to football.
Thursday (16/06)
Today on our last work day we made a robot that represented a sort of basketball game, the robot was composed by three motors, one to make it move forward or backwards, one to make it move left or right and one to trow the ball at the target.
Friday (17/06)
Today we decided to dedicate the day to prepare for tomorrow’s trip back home.
Saturday (18/06)
Organizing tickets, transport and all the travel information for our flight to Berlin.
Sunday (19/06)
Arrival to Faro, Portugal
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