Khotova. The Church of the Most Holy Heart of Jesus.

In those early days, the wooden church that was located in the cemetery was the only place of sorrow and joy for Catholic believers. After the suppression of the liberation uprising of 1863-1864, the Russian emperor banned the Catholic faith. The result of this decree was the closure of most Catholic churches in Belarus. 

The Church of the Most Holy Heart of Jesus in Khotova also suffered this fate. In 1867, it was transformed into an Orthodox church. According to the Brest Peace Treaty of 1921, Western Belarus became the territory of Catholic Poland, and therefore the church was immediately returned to Catholics. 

In 1924, Sophia (Maria) Lenskaya, the daughter of Mikhail Lensky, the owner of these places, decided to build a chapel. However, it was quickly discovered that due to the baptisms, weddings, and funeral services regularly held in it, it turned out to be too small. In 1931, her husband Karl Nezabytovsky announced the construction of a new church and became its main sponsor. 

Thanks to the efforts of the Lensky family and the active participation of parishioners, the church was built in 1933 and consecrated by Bishop of Pinsk. In 1935, the bells were consecrated, named after the Nezabytovsky family: Karl, Sofia and their son Mikhail.

Church of the Most Holy Heart of Jesus began to be rebuilt in 1931. It is located two kilometers east of the village, on the territory of the former Lensky estate. From this period, the church gets its new look. It turned from a wooden Catholic church into a stone one. 

In the following years, the church was not destroyed and remained practically in the form in which it was built. 

Restoration work was carried out only in 1991 and affected the exterior and interior of the temple. 

Today, the church is a monument of architecture of the neo-Romanesque style, which is not typical for the territory of modern Belarus. A distinctive feature of this style is the simplified shape of the arches and windows. The front of the church is decorated with a round window framed by a stone frame. The Vezha belfry gives the church an asymmetrical appearance, but this does not spoil it. The church is a rectangular volume under a gable roof. A semicircular apse with a side sacristy is attached to the side of the altar. On the side of the facade there is a four-sided bell tower, open at the top with arched openings - triforiums. The axis of the facade is highlighted by an arched entrance perspective portal and a rosette window above it. The side facades are separated by arched window openings and stepped cantilevers in the aisles, and have transept risoliths trimmed with double-sided gables.

The interior is divided into three naves by powerful pylons and arcades spanning them. The naves are covered with cylindrical arches on elastic arches. On the side of the presbytery there are choirs with a pulpit, open by a Romanesque arcade.

Parishioners take great care of the church of the Most Holy Heart of Jesus in the village of Khotova, teaching their children not only to come to the temple, but also to help in cleaning the territory adjacent to the church. This temple is an ornament of Columnar architecture. Tourists who choose to rest in Nalibokskaya Pushcha are happy to visit this temple.

The Church of the Most Holy Heart of Jesus is included in many religious tours in Belarus and weekend tours. Pilgrims from all over the world come to Hotovo to pay homage to the ancient temple.