[en] In this paper doubly degenerate defect states in the band gap of the two-dimensional photonic crystal are studied. These states can be split by a convenient distortion of the lattice. Through analogy with the Jahn-Teller effect in solids, we present a group theoretical analysis of the lifting of the degeneracy of doubly degenerate states in a square lattice by different vibronic modes. The effect is supported by the supercell plane-wave model and by the finite difference time domain technique. We suggest ways for using the effect in photonic switching devices and waveguides