The Neglected Impact of Topography on Late Baroque Churches: The CC Method in the Western Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Abstract

This article explores the architectural expressions of the Late Baroque, connecting them to the period’s aspiration for contextual integration. It investigates how churches relate to their natural surroundings, a relationship that can only be understood by analysing buildings not merely as physical structures but through the lens of lived experience. The importance of such relationships is highlighted by Norberg-Schulz’s theory. However, practical tools for analysing intangible yet perceptible aspects of contextuality remain limited. To address this gap, the study introduces a combined contextual method (CC method) that synthesises established approaches in architectural phenomenology. Applied to more than 40 churches of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the method integrates fieldwork and firsthand observations to capture both visual and kinaesthetic experience. Two case studies – churches in Hrodna (present-day Belarus) and Włodawa (present-day Poland) – illustrate the research process. The findings reveal a correlation between architectural archetypes and the character of place, particularly in the recurring vertical and horizontal orientations observed both in the buildings and in the landscape. While grounded in empirical research, the article also considers theoretical motivations for this relationship. The study’s novelty lies in applying phenomenological methods to 18th-century architecture and in examining how local topographical experience influenced Late Baroque forms.