The Transfiguration Roman Catholic Church () in

Novogrudok Novogrudok or Navahrudak (; ; , ; ) is a town in Grodno Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Novogrudok District. As of 2025, it has a population of 27,624. In the Middle Ages, the city was ruled by King Mindaugas' son V ...

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 ...

, is a

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

church erected in 1712–1723, replacing an earlier Gothic building from the late 14th century, and originally consecrated under the title of Corpus Christi. Two Gothic chapels survive and are included in the Baroque building. In 1799, the poet

Adam Mickiewicz Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. He also largely influenced Ukra ...

was baptized in this church. Closed in 1857, re-opened in 1906. Currently active.

History

Vytautas the Great founded the church in 1395 on the site of a former pagan temple. In 1422

Władysław II Jagiełło Jogaila (; 1 June 1434), later Władysław II Jagiełło (),Other names include (; ) (see also Names and titles of Władysław II Jagiełło) was Grand Duke of Lithuania beginning in 1377 and starting in 1386, becoming King of Poland as well. ...

married here his fourth wife Sophia of Halshany, establishing the

Jagiellonian dynasty The Jagiellonian ( ) or Jagellonian dynasty ( ; ; ), otherwise the Jagiellon dynasty (), the House of Jagiellon (), or simply the Jagiellons (; ; ), was the name assumed by a cadet branch of the Lithuanian ducal dynasty of Gediminids upon recep ...

. In 1643 local

castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

Jan Rudamina added a marble

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

in commemoration of the Navahrudaks knights fallen in the Battle of Khotyn in 1621. In 1712-1740 the church was rebuilt. The local masons Jakub Boksza, Jerzy Urłowski, Andrzej Szarecki, Jerzy Stepkowski headed the construction. The keystone was consecrated on July 14, 1714, by the bishop . The building was designed as a one-nave basilica with round

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

and two towers at the main facade. Two older faceted towers of XIV century were also included into the new building. On February 12, 1799, the poet

was baptised here. In 1812 during 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 ...

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

’s troops used the church as a food storage. After the war the services in the church were resumed, but in 1864 it was closed again in the aftermath of the

January Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

. The building decayed until 1906. In 1921 it was reconstructed by prince Stanisław Albrecht Radziwiłł and architect Bayle. The bishop Zygmunt Łoziński consecrated the restored church in 1922. In 1929 it was given to the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. During the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the city was occupied by the Nazis. The sisterhood organized a clandestine school for Polish children with lessons on history and Polish language. On August 1, 1943, the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

executed 11 nuns and the school’s principal. The burial place of the Martyrs of Nowogródek existed near the church until 1991. Under the

Soviets The Soviet people () were the citizens and nationals of the Soviet Union. This demonym was presented in the ideology of the country as the "new historical unity of peoples of different nationalities" (). Nationality policy in the Soviet Union ...

the church was closed in 1948 and reopened only in 1984. The services were resumed in 1992. The latest restoration was completed in 1998.

References

Sources

* * {{Belarus-stub Roman Catholic churches in Belarus Novogrudok Gothic architecture in Belarus Baroque church buildings in Belarus Churches completed in 1723 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Belarus

History

See also

References

Sources