Church of St. Joseph in Rubezhevichi

The temple, completely lined with natural stone, 45 meters high, looks very monumental. Erected in 1906-1910 by local craftsmen with donations collected from all over the area. About 100 workers worked at the construction site every day.

On the facade of the church there is a memorial plaque with an inscription in Polish, on which the interesting history of its creation is immortalized. Literal translation: “This stone was laid by Anthony Tur in 1866 with an inscription stating that a church of the Catholic faith would be built on this site. Three times I went on foot to St. Petersburg to the Tsar asking for permission to build a church. For collecting signatures from neighboring villages people, upon request, was exiled to Siberia with his family. After returning from exile in 1905, he brought permission from the tsar with the condition that the church should be large and built within 3 years."

And indeed it was built in 3 years! This is how, through the efforts and perseverance of one person, naturally with the support of local residents, our Motherland found such a wonderful temple.

By the way, next to it is the same stone with the inscription.

And today, in 2006, in honor of the centenary of the start of construction, a sculptural composition “Memory in Stone” appeared in front of the church, consisting of 46 huge boulders, on each of them the names of the villages that participated in the construction of the church were carved. The stones are laid out around a cross, which symbolizes the church itself, and their location reflects the actual location of the corresponding villages. The entrance to this “Rock Garden” is symbolized by a stone gate (gate).

I recommend all caring travelers to visit this place and feel its atmosphere.