Budslav. Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Story

The history of the church, and indeed the whole of Budslav, began in 1504. Then Grand Duke Alexander Jagiellonczyk allocated a large plot of land above the Servecz River for the Bernardine monks from Vilna. They moved to a new place and founded a settlement. These settlers lived in so-called budas - wooden hut houses. This is where the name of Budslav itself came from.

For a long time the Bernardines did not have a temple, but they did have a chapel built at the end of the 16th century. By the way, during its construction a miracle happened - the Virgin Mary appeared with the Baby in her arms. Rumors about this reached Vilnius, Krakow and the Vatican. And then the first pilgrims flocked to Buda. Over time, a settlement of pilgrims formed around the monastery. Later, the chapel housed an icon of the Mother of God - one of the most revered images in Belarus, brought from Rome by Father Isaac Szalocai, and presented by Pope Clemens VII. In 1996, Pope John Paul II declared this icon the patroness of Belarus. The holiday in honor of the holy icon is celebrated annually on June 2. Pilgrims come to the temple not only from all over Belarus, but also from other countries.

In 1633, they began to build the first church made of stone at the request of the governor Janusz Kiszka and according to the design of the German architect Andrei Kromer. By the middle of the next century, the building of the Bernardine monastery was built. And in 1767 a new stone church was laid. The old stone church became its side chapel. There is a unique altar with paintings and 20 sculptures.

The new church in the late Baroque style was built by the guardian of the monastery Konstantin Pence according to the design of the architect Joseph Fontana (presumably). In 1783, the temple was solemnly consecrated in honor of the Ascension of the Virgin Mary. There were music and theological schools and a hospital at the monastery. It also had its own library with many valuable publications. Some of them are now kept in the National Library of Belarus.

In the middle of the 19th century, the monastery was abolished, but the church continued to operate and remained a Catholic church throughout history. There is a legend that during the Second World War they wanted to blow it up, but the residents of Budslav prevented this. They surrounded the temple and began to pray, and the soldiers spared the building.

In 1993, a particularly important event occurred. The Pope ranked the church among the so-called minor basilicas. This is not about size or architectural form, but about spiritual status within the diocese. There are only four great basilicas (three in Rome, one in Jerusalem), and there are more significant small ones. In Belarus, only three churches have such a high status: the church in Budslav, the Church of St. Francis Xavier in Grodno and the Cathedral of the Ascension of the Virgin Mary in Pinsk.

2021, a fire broke out in the church. The roof collapsed from the fire, and vaults and other structures were badly damaged. Fortunately, the icon of the Mother of God and the altar remained intact. Funds for the restoration of the temple were collected by the whole world, and now it has been successfully restored.

Architecture

Although the church in Budslav has pronounced features of the Baroque style, its architecture is quite unusual. Just pay attention to the wide main facade. The two side towers are quite far from the central nave, which is why the temple itself, when viewed from the front, appears much wider than it is. The main facade is elegantly decorated with alternating columns and pilasters. Instead of the typical Baroque gable, its central part is crowned with a figured comb.

Another remarkable detail is the transept, that is, the transverse nave. It is located quite close to the main facade, whereas in most churches the transept is located closer to the altar. There is no apse at the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary at all, which is also very unusual. The altar is simply located at the far end of the nave. The temple also has a dome over the intersection of the nave and transept, but it is not visible from the outside, it is hidden in the roof.

The interior decoration is exquisite, but not as luxurious as in most Baroque churches. The decoration is dominated by white light, which makes the room look bright and spacious. Three-dimensional paintings in the form of Corinthian columns look interesting.