Grodno and surroundings (5 days)

Privokzalnaya Square Independence Square Nezavisimosti Avenue Freedom Square Ruins of Minsk ancient castle Trinity suburb Island of courage and sorrow A sports complex Minsk-Arena National Library of Belarus

Mir Castle Complex Chapel-burial vault of Svyatopolk-Mirsky family Nesvizh town hall Нouse on the market (home of craftsman) Benedictine Monastery in Nesvizh Sluckaya brama Nesvizh Church (Church of Jesuits) Nesvizh palace Radziwill

Slonim church of St. Andrew the Apostle Slonim Benedictine monastery Slonim Choral synagogue St. Mihail church in Synkovichi Holy Dormition Monastery Zhirovichi

Gorodnitsa Francis Xavier Church in Grodno Church of the Finding of the Holy Cross and Monastery of Bernardine in Grodno Grodno Choral synagogue Old Grodno Castle New Castle in Grodno Kolozhskaya (Borisoglebskaya ) Church The August channel - a lock of Dombrovkа

Having seen it, you hardly learn in the cathedral is mute. Before you the beautiful palace will be. However, having thumbed through pages of the past of Sacred and Mikhaylovsky church, you learn in what a secret of its shape and history. How fate of the temple existing since the time of Public relations of the 17th century up to now was?

Long time in Lida attempts construction of Catholic temples anyway became. However all of them came to the end extremely tragically – pagan aggression, disapproval of the prince, the fires of crusaders. So was to the middle of the 18th century. In 1770 in the city the Roman Catholic Parish Church of Erection of the Sacred Cross appeared. The outstanding architect, the founder of refined architectural style, after called "vilensky baroque" - Johann Christoph Glaubits became the architect of the project.

In 1323 the prince Gedimin gave the order to put the stone lock to cover to knights the road to the center of lands of the principality Lithuanian. In 5 years the kostel was built. Time the lock was besieged by the English, German, French knights. The Lidsky lock is "time machine" and a fascinating travel to the Middle Ages where continually there is a place to romanticism and knightly valor. Here everyone will be able to feel as the ancient soldier, having tried on an armor and to like the mystical atmosphere, having learned what ghost protects a citadel.

In 1686, monks of Dominicans appeared in Rakov, then ⎯ the basilians. At the Basilian monastery, founded here in 1702, there was a library, an archive, a hospital. And in 1793 the construction of the monastery church was completed. After the abolition of the union of power, the monastery was closed, the church became the Orthodox Transfiguration Church. In the church there is an icon that is venerated by the parishioners, which is called "Athos". This is a list from the icon of the Mother of God "Akathist" or "The Forerunner", transferred in 1910 as a gift of the Savior-Transfiguration Church by the monks of Mount Athos. The list was made by the monks of the Holy Mountain on a cypress board, in which a particle of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, a pebble from the grave of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was part of the relics of St. Charalampia, St. Gregory Palamas, mch. George the New. By its decoration and splendor, the Rakovsky Church has become one of the best temples of the Minsk diocese.

Rakov – the town which has received glory of "the capital of smugglers" for "crafts" of inhabitants of the beginning of the 20th century and for quantity of gambling and entertaining institutions. Life raged here at all times. However if to stop by in Cancers now – will remind of former times unless a church. The church of God's Mother of Ruzhantsova and Saint Dominica constructed in style of a medieval gothic style it is proud towers over the town and pride him is justified. Religious life of Rakov, as well as all Belarusian lands, has endured a set of difficult tests, violence and oppression. It was hard to come to tolerance which gives a belief option to residents of the country now. About history of a church and the town you will be told by the guide.

Alekseevsky church in Ivyanets is almost the same age as the Rakovsky church. Its construction was completed by 1907. For 14 years (1976 - 1990) it was used as a book depository of the State Library of Belarus. IN AND. Lenin and in 1990 was returned to the faithful. I would like to emphasize that the St. Alexis Church in Ivyanets is distinguished by a high culture of construction works, which is manifested in the special care of the brickwork, and in careful study of all the details of the rich decor, and in the emphasized simplicity and clarity of the composition solution. All this, taken together, allowed the builders of the temple to create a holistic architectural image in which the aesthetic program of Gothic architecture, inspired by the ideas of the early twentieth century, was realized.

Even accidentally passable through Ivenets, your look will surely hook on two magnificent temples. One of them soaring as if the white ship, over a water smooth surface, Saint Mikhail Arkhangel's church. His easy and elegant baroque silhouette decorates about 300 years the town. Earlier it was a part of the monastery of Franciscans and also: and here restoration works of the magnificent architectural work come to the end with church, shop, the pickling shop, high school, the eksperementalno-research shop now. Doors open again for parishioners and guests of the town.