Description of the attraction
The Church of St. Michael the Archangel in the city of Smorgon was built in 1606-16012. It was built as a Calvinist church on the site of a wooden church built in 1505.
The Calvinist temple was built at the expense of Krishtof Zenovich, who bequeathed to bury himself after death in the temple he built according to the traditions of Calvinism - modestly and without fanfare. The father's business was continued by his son Nikolai Boguslav. However, shortly after the death of his father, he converted to Catholicism and died in a battle with the Turks near Khotin. The temple, built by the father, was handed over by a Catholic in 1621 by Anna Sophia, Nikolai's sister. The church was consecrated in the name of the Holy Trinity.
During the Russian-Polish war, the temple was destroyed by the troops of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, but it was quickly restored with donations from a wealthy Catholic community. In 1858, the church was restored and richly decorated inside and out. The frescoes on the walls of the temple were painted by the famous artist Ilapovich.
In 1866, the church was closed by order of the government of tsarist Russia, and then transferred to the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox church was rebuilt in the Byzantine style, with gilded domes installed on it. The magnificent frescoes have been whitewashed.
The temple suffered significant damage during the First World War. In 1921-1926, being on the territory of Poland, it was restored as a Catholic church. In 1947, the church was closed and the premises were given to a shop. In the early 1970s, the building was recognized as an architectural monument and restored by the Ministry of Culture of the BSSR. It housed an exhibition hall.
In 1990, the church was returned to the Catholics. In 1995, the Catholic community of Smorgon was also given a three-storey building previously owned by Catholics, which was used as a House of Culture during the Soviet era. The building was rebuilt under the direction of the architect Bazevich. It houses the St. John Bosco Catholic Center.
