Bernardine possessions spread over the western edge of the old town. The Bernardine Order settled here in 1468, and constructed an intricate complex of stone buildings – incorporating the church and monastery. In the second half of the 16th century the number of friars diminished, and the friars distributed the monastery land to the townspeople to build houses or gardens. Thus, this large and long land plot was built over with wooden houses. At the beginning of the 17th century the Bernardine monastery and convent possessions were established near the Town Hall square, in the land plots that had at first been assigned for townspeople. At the end of the 16th century the Bernardines expanded the cemetery of the St. George churchyard and established a new cemetery in the western part of town. The manufacturing activities were conducted in the southern part of the Bernardine possession. There were a few buildings of various purposes, such as a smithy; there have been traces found of forging colour metals, in which the bone was cut and processed. The research also uncovered that the town’s bells were cast here.
Mindaugas Bertašius