Golshany. Church of John the Baptist.

For some time, Golshany was the residence of the influential magnate family of Belarus, the Sapiehas. They had their own castle and their own church, as befits magnates. Luckily for us, the church has been preserved, and there are also romantic ruins of the castle.

The first brick church was built in Golshany in the early 16th century. Then the church was adapted for a Calvinist congregation, i.e. a church for Protestants. Then, somewhere around 1596, the owner of Golshany, Prince Pavel Stefan Sapieha, invited Catholic Franciscan monks, for whom a large brick monastery was built. The Franciscan order was founded by Francis of Assisi in Italy in the 13th century. By 1618, the construction of the church and monastery was completed, and in the 18th century, the Catholic church was significantly rebuilt. And in the 1770s, the Catholic shrine was partially dismantled and rebuilt in the late Baroque style. During these years, the interior of the church was decorated with colorful frescoes. At the beginning of the 19th century, a brick gate-bell tower was built in front of the church.

During the Russian Empire, the monastery was closed. And already in Soviet times, after the war, the church was closed and a warehouse was made in it. The church and monastery were returned to the Catholic believers in the 1990s. Restoration was carried out and now the church is active.

The church is a three-aisled basilica. The main three-tiered altar is painted with colorful compositions. There are several side chapels inside. In one of the chapels, a tombstone for Pavel Sapieha and his three wives was installed in the 17th century, made in the Renaissance style. In Soviet times, it was moved to the Museum of Ancient Belarusian Culture in Minsk.

The church and monastery building is located at the crossroads of the former market square in the center of Golshany. It is worth walking around the perimeter of the monastery and church building, and you will notice that the architectural complex resembles a castle, because in those times, in the era of many wars, religious buildings were also often used as fortresses to protect against enemies.