Bolshye Sviranki. The Church of St. George (Yuri).

The ancient Catholic Church of St. George is located in the center of Bolshye Sviryanki, Ostrovets district. The first documents about the church in the village are available for the 15th century during the time of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

The temple was built at the expense of the owner of the local estate, Prince Svirsky. The prince's wife donated funds and property to the church. At the beginning of the 16th century, Prince Jan Talimuntovich recorded six lakes for the maintenance of the church. In 1543, Princess Marina Zhdanova Svirskaya made a landfall on Pleban. In the 16th century, when Gregory Ostik was the owner of the local estate, at that time the church was a single-towered wooden church.

In the middle of the 17th century, during the war between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the tsarstvo of Moscow, the shrine was destroyed. In 1671, the church was rebuilt at the expense of the Vilno headman. Some time later, in 1690, a wooden missionary monastery was built at the temple. A hospital was founded.

During the Northern War, the church was severely damaged, but was rebuilt due to the efforts of the suffragan of Vilno, Matey Jozef Antsuta. A two-tiered bell tower was erected near the church in 1910.

The monument has a rectangular layout. A pentagonal apse is attached to the main volume. The church is covered with a gable roof. There is a hip roof above the apse. The main facade has a triangular pediment and is flanked by four towers. The interior has choirs and Baroque altars.

The cobblestone streets have been preserved in the village.

The Church of St. George is a monument of the sacred architecture of Ostrovetchina. It is a historical and cultural value of the 3rd category of Belarus.

In 1671, a wooden church was founded here, and in 1690 a wooden monastery of missionaries was built at it.

The Church of St. George was built at the end of the 18th century, and at the beginning of the 20th century it was reconstructed. The main facade is decorated with four towers. The end of the roof is covered with a pediment, and the low entrance porch is covered with a gable roof with a triangular pediment. The entrance doors are decorated with a special decorative trim. The walls are sheathed horizontally and reinforced with vertical ties. The windows have arched endings. All these details have features of Baroque classicism.

In 1910, a two-tiered bell tower with a hipped roof was built near the church. The blind lower tier is made up of rubble stones, the upper tier is built of brick and is cut from each side by two high semicircular openings. Unfortunately, it has not survived to our time, it can only be seen in the photo.

In Soviet times, the church was closed, the building was used as a warehouse. It was returned to believers only in 1998. Through the efforts of parishioners and local residents, it was restored.

Today the church is active. Although it has a simple, but interesting architecture with curious details. It is noticeable that the temple previously had 2 towers, which were most likely removed during the reconstruction. The building has a 5-sided apse, arched windows and a pitched roof. The interior is quite modest.

St. George's Church is an interesting legacy of the history of Belarus with a difficult fate. All those who want to touch history and ancient times should come here!