Exaltation of the Cross church in Lida

Exaltation of the Cross church is an architectural monument of the late Baroque that is located in Lida.

They had been trying to build a Catholic church in Lida from the second half of the ХIV century. In 1366 a few Franciscans of Catholic religious order arrived in the Pagan-Orthodox city, where they were killed a few days later. Soon other monks appeared in Lida to build a temple over the grave of their brothers near Lidsky Castle. In 1373 they brought the icon of the Mother of God to the city that later was called the icon of the Lidskaya Mother of God.

According to some resources, King Jagiello took the decision to build a Catholic church in 1388 in Lida. But soon it was burned by the Crusaders.

Church of All Saints and Holy Cross appeared in Lida eight years later. But in the ХVI century because of lack of Calvinism parishioners it was closed. And during the Russian-Polish war of 1654-1667 years, when the troops of Duke Ivan Khovansky tried to seize Lida and Lida Castle, the church was burned to the ground.

In 1674 a wooden church was constructed in Lida but the exact place of its location is still unknown.

Roman Catholic Parish Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in its present form appeared in the city in 1770. It was built by Bishop Thomas Zenkovich on the money donated by Bishop Vilensky Michael Zenkovich. Johann Christoph Glaubits became an architect of the project. It was an outstanding architect and founder of exquisite architectural style, later called the «Vilna Baroque». But neither the founder of the church, nor its architect didn”t see the results of their work - both had died before the church was constructed.

Exaltation of the Cross church is a T-shaped three-nave church with a rectangular altar part. The main facade of the temple is a double-deck with shaped pediment. An arch and the walls of the church are decorated with frescoes. Altars are constructed of artificial marble, a sculpture, and decorative mouldings and a forged ambo are made in the rococo style. Inside the church there is the image of the Mother of God with the child that was brought here by the first Franciscan missionaries in the ХVI century.