Description of the attraction
The Holy Trinity Cathedral, or the Church of the Life-Giving Holy Trinity, is an architectural monument built in the 17th century in the Baroque style in Slonim.
In the 16th century, on the site of today's Trinity Church, there was a wooden Orthodox church, consecrated in the name of the Life-Giving Holy Trinity. In the church there was a particularly revered icon of St. Anthony of the Caves. In 1596, the Orthodox church was abolished and dismantled.
On the site of the Trinity Church in 1645, a stone baroque church was built. Very soon a Bernardine monastery was organized under him. In addition to its religious significance, the church was also built as a defensive structure, as evidenced by the octagonal tower with loopholes. In order to quickly adapt the population of Slonim to the Catholic faith, it was decided to celebrate the feast of Anthony of Padua in the church instead of the Orthodox feast of St. Anthony of the Caves.
The Bernardine monastery in Slonim was abolished in 1864. The buildings of the monastery and church were transferred to the Orthodox Church. After the reconstruction of the temple, it was again consecrated as the Orthodox Holy Trinity Church. The Orthodox holiday in honor of St. Anthony of the Caves was also resumed.
In the 1920s, when Slonim was on the territory of Poland, the temple became Catholic again. During the Nazi occupation, Orthodox services were resumed in this church. With the arrival of Soviet troops in Slonim, the temple was closed.
In 2002, the church was completely restored and received the status of a cathedral. Now the main tower of the Holy Trinity Cathedral is dressed in scaffolding - the reconstruction of the ancient temple is underway.
