Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Belarus

We will tell you about the most beautiful Neo-Gothic church in Belarus. It is called the "Belarusian Notre Dame" and "little Switzerland". The Church of the Holy Trinity in Gervyaty is considered a historical and cultural value of Belarus. It is located in the Grodno region, for which we also compiled a tourist guide.

History of construction of Trinity Church in Gervyaty

The history of the Holy Trinity Church began long before its construction. In 1526, a Catholic parish was founded in the village of Gervyaty. That time Bishop Yang built a small wooden church here. After almost a hundred years, the church fell into decay. In 1621, a new Church of the Holy Trinity appeared in its place. It has been operating for more than two centuries and gone through several reconstructions. And in 1895, the wooden church was demolished.

In 1899, the construction of the modern church began. A few years before, Vladislav Olshevsky became a priest in Gervyaty. It was thanks to his efforts that the construction of a new church began. He collected donations for building works from parishioners, and he himself gave a large sum for construction. For this, he was accused of unauthorized extortion and sent to another parish.

The main sponsor of the construction was the then owner of the village, Vaclav Domeyko with his mother. They are buried on the territory of the church.

The church was built according to the project of the Polish and Lithuanian architect Vaclav Mikhnevich. He worked in the Neo-Gothic style, which is why the church acquired such an atypical look for Orthodox Belarus and became the "most Gothic" church in the country. However, the project was officially approved by the architect of the Vilna province Alexey Polozov. Therefore, disputes about authorship continue to this day.

According to the chronicles, more than 70 people worked on construction every day. Also, a brick factory was specially built in the village, where high-quality bricks were made for the temple. Roof tiles were imported from Germany.

The Church of the Holy Trinity was consecrated on September 8, 1904.

Newest history of Holy Trinity Church in Belarus

For a hundred years, several priests have served in the church. However, the most significant contribution to its modern history falls on the time of Priest Leonid Nestyuk. In 2005, he planted a garden and arranged a square near the temple. In the garden there are about 2 thousand species of exotic plants, which the priest took care of himself. In the garden, there are statues of the twelve apostles and Archangel Michael.

Thanks to Leonid Nestyuk's care, Gervayty recall Switzerland with its small mountain villages and churches. Tourists began visiting more often, including to organ concerts, which were revived during priest's service. Priest Leonid Nestyuk died in 2017. His grave is located near the temple wall.

Where is the most beautiful church in Belarus located?

The Holy Trinity Church is located in Gervyaty village on the border with Lithuania. This is one of the few Lithuanian villages that have survived to this day. It was first mentioned in 1434.

Throughout the history of its existence, Gervyaty belonged to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and to the Russian Empire. The village became part of Belarus in 1940. Then the Trinity Church became the property of the state.

Today there are about 500 residents in Gervyaty village.

How to get to the Church of the Holy Trinity in Gervyaty?

Address: Gervyaty, Naberezhnaya Street 10

Opening hours: Mon-Sun from 9AM to 8PM

Gervyaty village is located far from the railway. The closest town to the village with developed logistics is Ostrovets. You can get to Ostrovets from Minsk or Grodno by bus. It is more difficult to get there from remote cities of Belarus; it will take lot of changing.

Minsk — Gervyaty: distance

Distance between Minsk and Gervyaty is about 168 km. It is easier to get there by car.

By bus, you can get from Minsk to the city of Ostrovets. From there, about 20 km by taxi to the village of Gervyaty.

Vitebsk — Gervyaty: distance

The journey by car from Vitebsk to Gervyaty will take about 4 hours. You will have to drive 311 km. It is easier to get there by car.

Brest — Gervyaty: distance

Distance between Brest and Gervyaty is about 420 km. You can reach it by car in 5 hours. It is easier to get from Brest to Gervyaty by your personal auto.

Grodno — Gervyaty: distance

Despite the fact that Gervyaty is located in the Grodno region, the distance between thiese places is 250 km. It's easier and faster to get there by car. The journey will take a little more than 3 hours.

Mogilev — Gervyaty: distance

The longest way from Mogilev to Gervyat stretches for 404 km. You can get there by car in 5 hours.

Gomel — Gervyaty: distance

It will take more than 5 hours to get from Gomel to Gervyaty by car. This is the most remote from the village major city in Belarus. The distance between Gervyaty and Gomel is 482 km.

What does the Church of the Holy Trinity in Gervyaty look like?

The Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Gervyaty is considered the most beautiful church in Belarus, according to several surveys. In addition, it is one of the three tallest churches in the country. The height of the temple reaches 61 meters. It is important to note that the height of only one cross completing the dome is 6 meters.

The Trinity Church is a typical example of the Neo—Gothic style. The temple has three naves separated by two rows of columns, which are connected by arches. The walls are not plastered, narrow windows are cut in them. Many people note that the proportions and symmetry of the temple are perfectly observed. Next to the temple there are several wooden crosses decorated with carvings, which is very common in Lithuanian sanctuaries.

Interior decoration of the church is quite modest when compared with the exterior. However, several valuable icons and photographs are stored here. The church also houses an organ of 1882 by Florian Ostrometsky from Vilna. It was made of two other organs' elements.They were transferred to Gervayty from Ostrovets and Shumskas churches after they were closed in 1866.

The organ is of great importance for the modern Gervayty church. Thanks to the excellent acoustics, charity organ music concerts are constantly held here. The flooring is made of specially ordered tiles with acoustic properties.

Interesting facts about Trinity Church in Gervyaty

We have already told you that Gervyaty is considered a Lithuanian corner in Belarus. The majority of the population of the modern village are Lithuanians, so church services are held in the Lithuanian, Belarusian and Polish languages.

According to the second fact, at the beginning building, it turned out that the place for construction was chosen wrong. Groundwater eroded the foundation, so the builders had to change the race of the local Loshi River. It was on its shore that a factory was built where bricks for the temple were made. They say that one chicken egg was added to each brick for strength. Eggs for this purpose were collected from local people.

The third fact says that after the consecration in 1904, the temple never stopped operating. If this is true, then this fact can be called the most significant. After all, the temple survived the time of repression. In 1950, the Soviet authorities arrested Priest Stanislav Hodik and sent him to a labor camp. According to some sources, the church was closed until 1951. However, there is also no confirmation of this information.

Catholic Church in Gervyaty in 2022

Now the Church of the Holy Trinity is open and is still operates. Services are held on Sunday starting at 10AM. There is no exact schedule in open sources. However, you can use the phone +375159174679 for communication.

On major religious holidays (Easter and Christmas according to the Catholic tradition), festivals with performances by choirs and organists are usually held in Gervyaty. Organ concerts are also organized several times a year. To get information about them, you can also call the specified number.

There are no guided tours in the Holy Trinity Church in Gervayty. If you arrive on your own and can get inside the temple, you will need about an hour to inspect the interior and garden.

Little Belarusian Switzerland: what to see

As we wrote, it will take about an hour to inspect the church and walk around the garden. There are no other attractions or interesting places in Gervyaty. However, you can stop by the Mielnytsa Cafe. It stands on the foundation of an old watermill of the 19th century, located on the Loshi River. From here, you can go down to the river itself.

The Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant is located 11 km from Gervyaty village. You can get there by your personal car.

Take a look at our article about the Rumyantsev-Paskevich Palace in Gomel.

Photo: belarusgid.com; autotravel.ru; yesbelarus.com; wikimedia.org; postim.by; yandex.net; emerging-europe.com