Oshmyany. Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The town of Oshmyany is a small district center of the Grodno region. There is much to see here. In the historical center, people usually visit the Church of the Archangel Michael, a unique synagogue, and a local history museum. And few people get to the outskirts of the city, where the ancient Church of the Holy Mother of God has been preserved.

The first written sources about the church in Stara Oshmyana, as this suburb of the city was previously called, date back to 1407, when the mayor of Vilnius, Wojciech Maniwid, donated people from one village to the church. Then there was a donation in the 15th century from Yuriy Yanovich. At that time, there was a Franciscan monastery at the church. The Catholic Franciscan order was founded in the early 13th century by Francis of Assisi. In 1505, Alexander Jagiellon made a donation to the church.

In the 17th century, during the war, the church buildings were badly damaged, after which they were restored and rebuilt. During the war with Napoleon in 1812, the church was again partially destroyed, and rebuilt in the then dominant architectural style of classicism. In the 19th century, during the Russian Empire, the Franciscan monastery was closed, and the church itself was converted into a warehouse. The building was badly damaged during the wars of the 20th century and now stands in ruins. The monument needs restoration.