Church of Assumption of Virgin Mary in Budslav

Budslav Church - an architectural monument of the late Baroque. Built in 1767-83 as Bernardine”s. According to legend, Roman Catholic Church in Forest Budа arose in connection with the miraculous appearance here in 1588 the Virgin Mary, as described in the chronicle chronicler Thomas Dygonya Bernardine.

Stored in the church written in 1598 icon of Mother of God, presented to Pope Clement XVIII. The impetus for the emergence of pilgrimage traditions in Budslav was the publication of the book in 1650 the abbot of the monastery of local Elevter Zeleevich with a long and detailed list of miracles that took place in Buda after the papal church in the local icon.

The Bernardine Monastery was closed in Vilnius in 1858 year thanks to Alexander II. The same fate befell the local monastery. The ritual of Budslav temple festivals, which were inspired Vilna monks, gradually loses its authenticity, is simplified. Ceases and the choral singing Budslav Bernardine monks, which was hallmark of the annual summer ”Festival”.

Another serious crisis falls on the church in 1939 year, after the famous ”reunion”. Countdown begins many years ”semi-underground” phase of the existence of the church with a night wedding and baptisms, a sacred pilgrimage to the confessions of church and cemetery. Budslav old-timers tell us that often in those years, there have been cases where local authorities at the time of the traditional July temple festival in honor of Our Lady of Budslav guard took away the keys of the church and the people were praying just before the locked doors. However, it should be noted that the church has never been used for atheistic purposes.

Given the history and role of the church in the life of the Belarusian Catholics, Pope John Paul II in 1994 awarded the title of the church in Budslau ”basilica minor”, thus emphasizing the special rank of the temple.