Most beautiful temples of Belarus

I am originally from Belarus so today's post is again about my home country. I have already written about temples of Minsk and about St.Sophia Cathedral of Polotsk. And today's post is about the most beautiful temples of Belarus. What is interesting, most of these temples are situated in small towns or even villages.

photos courtesy Ivan Tsyrkunovich

St.Trinity Church, Gervyaty village, Grodno province. The church was built in 1899-1903 instead of the wooden one of 1526 that had been at the place before. This church is considered the most beautiful temple of Belarus. More than 61 m in height and being the tallest temple in the country, this church with its complex framework structure is a really breath-taking sight.

photos courtesy Sergei Gromak

St.Francis Xavier Cathedral, Grodno. The interiors of this cathedral are one of the most beautiful in Belarus. Originally a Jesuit church, it became a cathedral in 1991. It was built in 1678 - 1705 years in the historical centre of Grodno on the money of two priests. It was consecrated in 1705 in the presence of King August II of Poland and the Russian Tsar Peter the Great. It is a monumental three cross-domed basilica with a two-tower main facade in the style of middle Baroque. The upper tiers of the towers were built on in the years 1750-52 in the style of late Baroque. Furnishing of the interior (1711-1753) includes seven stunning carved altars. Fresco paintings over arcades between naves represent 14 subjects from the life of the Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier, after whom the church was consecrated.

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photo courtesy Aleksandr Buryak

Corpus Christi Church, Nesvizh, Minsk province. The construction of this church is connected directly with the arrival of the mission of the Jesuits' order called into the Grand Lithuanian Duchy for fighting against the Reformation and strengthening the Catholicism. It was built in 1593 according to the design of the Italian architect Giovanni Maria Bernardoni and is one of the oldest baroque structures outside Italy. The temple interior is richly decorated with paintings. The frescoes performed in 1750–1760-s embrace 40 individual compositions depicting Saints, allegorical scenes and biblical stories. The most impressive one is "The Lord's Supper" (1753) in the main shrine. There is a burial vault of the Radziwills in the church's semi-basement as well containing over seventy burials of the mighty dynasty, the oldest dating from 1616.

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photo courtesy Ilyas Sadiev

The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Vidzy, Vitebsk province. The cathedral was built in 1914. The 60-metre-high temple combines the elements of the Roman and Gothic styles in architecture. It is the second highest cathedral in Belarus. Several artillery shells were walled into the cathedral as a memory of the German attacks of 1915.

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The Church of Ascension of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Budslav village, Minsk province. The temple was built in 1643 and it was the first stone church in Budslav. A unique wooden altar that was made and installed at that time is kept in its original state. In the very center of the altar there is an icon that depicts Virgin Mary with the Christ child. It is this icon that brings the Budslav church its fame. Pope Clement VIII presented the icon to a governer from Vilnius in 1600, who gifted it to the Budslav church in 1643. The image of Madonna is believed to have miracle-working powers. In 1944 Pope John Paul II gave the Budslav Catholic Church the title of Basilica minoris, which indicates a special class of a church and its great significance for the Christianity on the whole.

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The Church of St.Antony of Padua, Postavy, Vitebsk province. This Neo-Gothic church was built in 1898-1904 and it honors St. Anthony of Padua - Franciscan preacher, miracle worker, one of the most venerated saints of the Catholic Church. Built on the envelope of the river area, the church together with the pond water creates an amazingly beautiful architectural and landscape composition.

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St. Tadeush Catholic Church, Luchai village, Vitebsk province. The church dates from 1776 and contains elements of baroque and classicism in its architecture.

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The Roman Catholic Church of St. George (Yury), Polonechka village, Brest province. What is amazing about this church that it is wooden. It was built in 1899 in Neo-Gothic style with elements of Modern. The Organ inside the church is also wooden and was made in Vilnius in 1897.

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The Ortodox Church of St. Nicolas, Starye Gaby, Minsk province. The church was built in 1905 from the local rubble stone. The belfry has two circles instead of traditional three. The walls are made from the large stones of irregular shape in black, grey and pink colours; plinths and cornices - from the yellow bricks, apses - from the red ones. Such combination of colours and textures adds more beauty and picturesqueness to the church.