Description of the attraction
The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Murovanka, or Malomozheikovskaya Church, is a defensive Orthodox church built in 1524. According to the surviving documents, it was founded by the Vilna bogeyman Shimko Matskevich-Shklyonsky. Despite the fact that in the church in Murovanka there was a family Orthodox tomb, despite all the protests of the heirs of the buried, in 1598 the Malomozheikovskaya church was transferred to the Uniates.
As the further fate of the Murovan Church showed, its founders showed considerable foresight, building it as a fortress. More than once in its long history, the church has withstood sieges and provided shelter to local residents. In 1647, during the war with the Muscovites, the church was taken by storm and plundered. The Russian-Polish wars and the war with the Swedes left their marks on the ancient walls.
Prosperous times for the church, which once again became Orthodox, came after the Belarusian lands were incorporated into the Russian Empire. The Russian Tsar Alexander I himself, who had visited Murovanka on his way, ordered the repair of the temple, which had so amazed his imagination. The church has been renovated. In 1864, a parish school and a school house were organized at the church.
A difficult fate awaited the church after the end of the First World War - the Poles made a church out of it. The revival of the Orthodox traditions of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Murovanka began in 1993, when it was again handed over to believers. Now the restoration has been carried out in the church. Church services resumed. There is a Sunday school. The Government of the Republic of Belarus announced that the Murovan Church will be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
