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"A pearl of Baroque" – whenever one mentions Pazaislis Monastery in Kaunas, Lithuania, this metaphor goes together. The monastery and church complex situated on a peninsula of Kaunas Lagoon is considered one of the most wonderful examples of High Baroque architecture in Northern and Eastern Europe.

Funded by the Great Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Krzysztof Zygmunt Pac, the construction of the complex was finished in 1712. According to some sources, Pac had decided to build the most beautiful church in Lithuania and consign it to Camaldoli monks as a memorial to his dead child boy.

The complex was designed by the Italian architects Pietro and Carlo Puttini and Giovanni Battista Frediani. For pargeting and fresco works, sculptors from Lombardy were invited. The marble for the construction of the monastery and the church were carried from a quarry in Krakow, Poland. At first, the monastery was named Mons Pacis (Mountain of Peace; also an allusion to the founder's family name); later it was called Kamalduliai (the Camaldoli), and today it is known as Pazaislis.
In 1661, Pope Alexander VII gave Pac a picture of Lady Mary as a gift and a sign of benediction (the picture is famous not only for its artistic but also miracle value). Under the permission of Pope Alexander VII and the general of Camaldoli Order, a celebratory monastery foundation event took place on 3 November, 1664. Three years later, the foundation-stone of the church was sanctified. In 1712, decoration of the church was at last finished, and on 15 October the church was consecrated by Vilnius bishop Konstantinas Bzostovskis.

At the beginning, the monastery was inhabited by Camaldoli monks, but after the rebellion of the year 1831, the Tsar government took the monks to the monasteries of the Mogilev Gubernia (now a region in Belarus). The next year, the riches of the monastery were transferred to the orthodox monastery of Uspensia (Romania). Later in 1812, the monastery was plundered by the Napoleon army.

In 1921, the godforsaken monastery was given over to the sisters of St. Casimir, but in 1948, they were driven away from there by the Soviet government. The buildings of the monastery were used for various purposes. There was a nursery home, and later on a mental hospital. From 1967 to 1992, the monastery provided roof for M.K. Ciurlionis Museum of Art. Then in 1992, the monastery was again given over to the St. Casimir's Congregation.

Inside the buildings of the complex, there are now about 140 frescos of different size. Until 1950 there was also a picture of Mother and Child, which was especially venerated by the believers. Today the picture is kept in Kaunas Cathedral Basilica.

Moreover, there are 6 easel paintings by M.A. Palionis. Among them – the portraits of the monastery founder Pac and his wife Clara Isabel. In the northern tower, there are two bells founded by a famous 17th century bell founder Jan Delamars. Under the monastery, there are vaults and tunnels which still have not been explored.

Today, the solemn atmosphere of the monastery makes an exceptional setting for having musical festivals. Every summer, music lovers are welcomed at the Pazaislis Musical Festival which takes place at various places in Lithuania; yet the symbol of the festival is Pazaislis Monastery.