The Church of Saint Anthony in

Talachyn Talachyn or Tolochin (, ; ; ; ; ) is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Talachyn District. As of 2024, it has a population of 9,666. History The town was first mentioned in 1433. The village was a ''sh ...

is a

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

ian cultural heritage object, built in 1813–1861 and consecrated in the name of Saint

Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua, Order of Friars Minor, OFM, (; ; ) or Anthony of Lisbon (; ; ; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese Catholic priest and member of the Order of Friars Minor. ...

. The first Catholic parish in Talachyn was established in 1604 by

Lew Sapieha Lew Sapieha (; ; 4 April 1557 – 7 July 1633) was a nobleman and statesman of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. He became Great Secretary of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1580, Great Clerk of the Grand Duchy in 1581, Crown Chancellor in 1 ...

. He built a school, a hospital, and a first church. The town was severely damaged in the

Russo-Polish War (1654–1667) Armed conflicts between Poland (including the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland) and Russia (including the Soviet Union, the Russian Empire, the Tsardom of Russia and the Principality of Moscow) include: : : ...

and the

French invasion of Russia The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign (), the Second Polish War, and in Russia as the Patriotic War of 1812 (), was initiated by Napoleon with the aim of compelling the Russian Empire to comply with the Continenta ...

(1812), which is why no buildings of the 17th century and earlier have survived. The current church of Saint Anthony was constructed between 1813 and 1861 in commemoration of the victory in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. Some sources claim that the construction was finished by 1853. In the 1930s the church was closed by the Soviet authorities and used as a warehouse, then a cafe and a club. In the 1960s the bell tower was destroyed. In 1993 the church was returned to the parish and restored.

Gallery

File:Tałačyn, Aršanskaja, Śviatoha Antonija. Талачын, Аршанская, Сьвятога Антонія (1913).jpg, The church in 1913 File:Tałačyn, Aršanskaja. Талачын, Аршанская (1944-49) (3).jpg, The church before 1950 File:Касцёл Святога Антонія Падуанскага ў Талачыне. Галоўны ўваход.jpg, The church in 2010

References

18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Belarus Landmarks in Belarus {{Belarus-RC-church-stub