Mir. The Church of St. Nicholas

The history of the church begins at the beginning of the XVI century, when it was founded by representatives of the Ilinich family, who also built the Mir Castle. Over time, the Ilinich family died out, and the World passed into the possession of the Radziwills.

The first temple on this site was made of wood. The Radziwills later rebuilt it again from wood, and Bishop Yuri Radziwill of Vilna consecrated it. However, the wooden building did not last long. Nikolai Radziwill Sirotka, an expert in architecture, decided to rebuild the church in stone. The project of the building was probably prepared by the architect Giovanni Bernardoni. The construction lasted six years and was completed in 1605. A priest's house was built next to the church, and then a parish school and a hospital were opened.

During the Northern War, the church and the Mir Castle were damaged by the Swedes, but the temple was soon restored to its former appearance. In 1845, another renovation took place. 18 years after that, the Catholic church was closed and turned into an Orthodox church due to the uprising of 1863, when the rebels used the church as a gathering point.

It was only in 1919 that the church was returned to the Catholic Church, and Father Anatoly Matskevich, who became rector, put a lot of effort into this. Unfortunately, his fate was tragic: in 1942, he was arrested by the Gestapo, and he was brutally murdered. After the war, St. Nicholas Church was closed and left to collapse.

It was only in 1990 that the building was handed over to believers again and its restoration began. Now it is an active Catholic church and one of the main attractions of the World.

The architectural appearance of St. Nicholas Church has remained virtually unchanged since its construction, despite all the trials. The style of the building combines elements of Gothic and Renaissance. It can be noted that, like many temples of that period, the church has signs of defensive architecture.

St. Nicholas Church is a three-nave basilica without a transept. In the western part of the temple there is the most remarkable detail — a square bell tower with a hipped roof. At the beginning of the XX century, when the church belonged to the Orthodox Church, it was decorated with a dome, as can be seen in old photographs.

The light walls contrast perfectly with the benches and the altar made of dark wood. On both sides of the entrance to the temple (inside) you will find two elegant columns with Corinthian capitals.

Here are some interesting facts about St. Nicholas Church:

• When building the foundation for the temple, workers found large bones of an unknown animal, presumably a mammoth. The bones were traditionally hung on the wall next to the organ, but now they are no longer there.
• There was a crypt in the church where the remains of 30 people were kept. The crypt and burial sites have not been preserved to this day. It is unclear who the remains belonged to. There is a version that these were Radziwills, although they usually rested in the church of the Body of God in Nesvizh. Perhaps the local Radziwills, the "Mundane" ones, found their last refuge here.
• The name of Karol Stanislav Radziwill, who restored the church after the Northern War, was engraved on one of the bells of the church. However, the Nazis later removed this bell and sent it to be melted down.

Tourists are usually not allowed into the bell tower, but every year on Holy Week access is open there. Tourists can enjoy the view from above and ring the bells.