The Church of St.Catherine (Vilniaus St.30) is regarded by art historians as the most typical example of Vilnius Baroque. This type of late Baroque churches is noted for slender and elegant twin towers. A picturesque silhouette of the Church of St.Catherine stands out in the whole panorama of the old town.

The history of the ensemble goes back to 1618.

Hetman John Carol Chodkiewicz and his wife Sophia invited Benedictine nuns from Nesvizh to Vilnius. They built for them a small brick church, which was later expanded and after the 1741-73 reconstruction acquired its present appearance.

The church was damaged in 1812 and during the Second World War, but was restored afterwards. At the present time the church is one of the most popular concert venues in Vilnius.

The church facade is dominated by vertical lines. It is abundantly decorated, the pediment and towers are adorned with volutes, vases and beautiful open-worked crosses with rays. Above the pediment hangs the Chodkiewicz coat-of-arms.

The back pediment with numerous relief works is also impressive. This single-nave church has 9 magnificent late Baroque altars and a pulpit.

Convent buildings date from the 16th-19th century. Noteworthy is the great courtyard with arch windows of the cloister. A Baroque portal in the northwest courtyard. The buildings are distinguished by their complex plan.

The 17th-18th century was a period when the convent thrived. The convent funded book publishing and accumulated a library that was one of the largest in the congregation. Having endured a period of hardship in the 19th century, the convent recovered in the early 20th century. Thanks to the efforts of abbess Julia Anzelma Miliczowna it regained some of its lands and established a high school.

In front of the church, a bust of composer Stanislaw Moniuszko stands in a small square. It was built in 1922. The pedestal was taken from a monument to Pushkin which stood at the foot of the Gediminas Hill since 1899. On the other side of the church, stands a monument to poetess Salomėja Nėris.