Grodno. The building of the former Dominican monastery.

The Dominican Church and monastery in Grodno were founded in 1632 by Frederick Sapieha and his wife Kristina from the Potseev family. The stone structure of the monastery, located along Vilenskaya Street (now Sovetskaya), is documented on the 1753 plan.

The oldest part of the building probably appeared already in the 30s of the 17th century. The construction of the monastery building was carried out gradually and was delayed for a long time, mainly in the 20-30s of the XVIII century.

Historically, the temple had the appearance of a three-nave basilica, distinguished by its strict decor and massiveness. The triangular pediment above the main entrance stood out, and the facade was decorated with a series of flat pilasters and stepped attics. It was one of the largest churches in Grodno, second only to the Orthodox, Jesuit and Bernardine churches.

The length of the church reached about 50 meters, including the house at the entrance, which, in all probability, was part of a stone stone given by the Sapieha. Inside there were several altars, as well as a bust of Stanislav August Poniatowski, which was part of an expressive sculptural composition.

Along the street to the German Market there was a long wooden house, replaced by a stone one after the fire of 1782. Since the beginning of the 17th century, the Dominican school operated here, which in 1748-1749 received the status of the highest.

In 1833, the gymnasium was closed due to the participation of students in the uprising of 1830-1831, after which the building on Vilenskaya Street became a gymnasium. The educational institution, founded by Dominicans, continued its work, but changed in quality.

According to local historians, quite famous personalities studied at the school, including Viktor Kalinovsky, Alexander Makovelsky, Jozef Jodkowski and Yakub Chekhovsky. Such figures as Evstafy Orlovsky and Jonas Jablonskis taught here.

After the suppression of the uprising, the Russian authorities decided to reconstruct the former monastery in the classical style in the late 1930s.

In 1874, after the destruction of the church, the gymnasium was expanded due to the remaining walls of the temple.

Thus, the Dominican monastery left a long and vivid history in the field of education, competing with the Jesuits and becoming the leading educators of Grodno.

At the end of the 19th century, the building became the seat of the city council, which was reflected on the pediment with the date 1894.

Today, the buildings at Sovetskaya 6 have been preserved from the former monastery, and the church was demolished at the end of the 19th century.