Minsk. St. Joseph's Church and the Bernardine Monastery.

     The St. Joseph's Church and the Bernardine Monastery have been built in the historical center of Minsk. The church was built on the Upper Market in the Baroque style in the 17th century.

        The Bernardine Monastery was founded in 1624 with the money of John and Andrew Konsovsky. Andrei Konsovsky donated land with a wooden house to the monastery. First, a wooden church and monastery were built in the 1630s. During a fire in 1644, the buildings were destroyed by fire. In 1652, the monastery and the church were built of stone. In 1676, a stone chapel was added at the expense of Christopher Stanislav Zawisha.

        In 1752, the architectural ensemble was rebuilt and the buildings acquired a modern look.

      The monastery building included a church, a school, a refectory, residential buildings, a hospital, a brewery, a stable and other outbuildings. During the time of the Russian Empire in the early 19th century, shopping malls were built near the church.

         In 1864, the monastery and the church were closed. The church was transferred to the Orthodox Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius. The monastery was turned over to barracks and an investigative commission.

     Then the archive worked in the building. Since 1992, the archive of scientific and technical documentation and the Archive Museum of Literature and Art of Belarus have been operating in the church building.

      In recent years, the church and monastery have been restored. The Monastyrsky Hotel is located in the monastery building.