The Church of the Holy Trinity (; , ) is a Roman Catholic church in Hyervyaty, Grodno Region,

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 ...

. It is an example of the Belarusian

Neogothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

architecture and was built in 1899–1903. The church is a site of

cultural heritage of Belarus The cultural heritage of Belarus includes both material and immaterial assets (valuables), in accordance with the Law on Protection of Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Belarus (2006). Material historical and cultural assets, mo ...

.Збор помнікаў гісторыі і культуры. Гродзенская вобласць. Стр. 89
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History

The first parish in Hyervyaty was established in 1526 by the archbishop

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

. Gradually it fell into decline and in 1621

Eustachy Wołłowicz Eustachy Wołłowicz (; 1572–1630) was Bishop of Vilnius in 1616–1630. He was one of the more accomplished bishops of Vilnius in the 17th century. A son of the Protestant father and Eastern Orthodox mother, Wołłowicz became a Catholic and ...

constructed the new wooden church. It was destroyed by fire in 1736. Almost a hundred years later the philanthropist reconstructed the church. In 1860, Kazimir Domeyko founded the stone bell tower and reconstructed the church in 1862. The last restoration was executed in 1894-1895, but three years later the church was demolished. The modern building was constructed in place of the old one in 1899—1903. Usually the authorship is attributed to architects

Wacław Michniewicz Wacław Michniewicz (; 15 October 1866 – 14 January 1947) was a Polish-Lithuanian architect active in Vilnius, Lithuania. Early life and education Wacław Michniewicz was born on 15 October 1866 in the village of (Pabaiskas parish), aroun ...

and Alaksiej Połazaŭ (1820-1903). However, some sources claim that the design was created by Ignatiy Olshansky, brother of a local priest. According to the year books, every day 70 men worked at the construction site. Specially for the church a brick factory was built near the village. Lime was mined near the , to make limestone more solid thousands of eggs were bought from local farmers. Roof tiles were imported from Germany. Mostly the funds for construction were donated by Vazlav Domeyko and his mother Anjela, nee . Her son-in-law brought from Germany the ceramic tiles to the church. The new church was consecrated on September 8, 1904. In 1921–28 the

Lithuanians Lithuanians () are a Balts, Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another two million make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the Lithuanian Americans, United Sta ...

of Gierviaty(Gervėčiai) fought with the Polish administration over Lithuanian services in the church.

Architecture

The Church of the Holy Trinity is a typical example of the Neogothic style. Its height is 61 meter, and it's one of the tallest churches in Belarus. The temple has three naves and a small transept, the naves are separated from each other by two rows of five columns each. There is no apse behind the presbytery. A characteristic element of the architecture of the temple are multi-stage buttresses, turning into flying buttresses. The walls of the temple are cut through with narrow lancet window openings in niches. In front of the temple there are several wooden crosses with rich carvings, which is typical for Lithuanian temples. Around the temple there is a landscape park with rare plants and figures of the apostles. The church is acknowledged as one of the most beautiful in Belarus, nicknamed ‘Little Switzerland’ and ‘Belarusian Notre-Dame. The church is the main tourist attraction in Hyervyaty.

Plan of the church

References

External links

Church interior on Google Street View
{{Catholic Church in Belarus, state=collapsed Roman Catholic churches in Belarus Churches in Belarus Landmarks in Belarus Buildings and structures in Grodno region Brick Gothic Gothic Revival church buildings in Belarus

History

Architecture

Plan of the church

References

Further reading

External links