Description of the attraction
The Church of the Discovery of the Holy Cross and the Bernardine monastery are the largest currently operating Catholic churches in Grodno. This architectural masterpiece was built gradually during the XVI-XVIII centuries, it was repeatedly completed and rebuilt, therefore at present it is a mixture of the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. The church is a three-nave, six-pillar basilica. The monastery buildings are adjacent to the church, forming a single architectural complex with a closed courtyard.
The construction of a wooden monastery began in 1494 on the land donated by the Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander Jagiellonchik to the Bernardine Order. In the second half of the 16th century, the city of Grodno began to flourish, when King Stefan Batory actually made it his capital. At this time, the monastery expanded and its construction continued.
Under Sigismund III Vaz in 1595, the construction of the church of the Bernardine monastery began. The temple was consecrated on May 13, 1618 by Bishop Eustachy Valovich. In 1660, the chapel of St. Barbara was built, the roof was covered, the temple was renovated.
An organ of the 17th century has been preserved in the church. The interior was decorated in the 17th-18th centuries. In the niches of the temple there are sculptures of 12 apostles and 12 prominent figures of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Commonwealth.
Despite the fact that in Soviet times the temple and monastery were closed, they are perfectly preserved to this day. Now the building of the monastery houses the Higher Roman Catholic Seminary, which trains Catholic priests.
