Pruzhany. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Due to the events of the Polish uprising of 1863, the authorities of the Russian Empire gave the Orthodox Church an important role in the Russification of the country. To support these efforts, a tenth of the value of the confiscated property of the participants in the uprising was allocated. Committees for the construction of Orthodox churches were established in each province and district town. In Pruzhany, such a committee was organized in 1865 under the leadership of Captain Ellis, the head of the city and district.

It was decided to build a church in honor of the patron saint of Russia, St. Alexander Nevsky, as a sign of gratitude to the Russian Emperor Alexander II for the abolition of serfdom and serfdom. The project was developed by the Grodno provincial architect Mikhailovsky, using the Synod's project album. In 1864, the first brick in the foundation of the church was laid by the Brest bishop, vicar of the Lithuanian diocese Ignatius (Zhelezovsky) on the day of Saints Peter and Paul.

Bricks for construction were supplied free of charge from the seized from Valenti Shvykovsky brick factory in Palyanov, as well as from an unfinished church. Funds for the construction were collected throughout the Russian Empire, and each peasant household of the Pruzhany district had to contribute 50 kopecks and allocate a man for one day to help.

The iconostasis was created by the best masters of St. Petersburg, Kozerov and Srebryakov, designed by architect Sychev, who also designed sketches of side kiosks. The icons for the iconostasis were painted in the St. Petersburg Resurrection Novodevichy Monastery.

The bells for the cathedral were delivered from the factory of the St. Petersburg merchant Pikiev, and the sacristy, dishes, books and other church items were provided by Moscow merchants.

The opening of the temple was planned for September 1866, on Alexander Nevsky Memorial Day, but due to unforeseen circumstances, the ceremony had to be postponed for a month: during transportation, the iconostasis was damaged and water got into it, so it had to be re-glued and gilded. On October 22 (November 3), 1866, the church was consecrated by Bishop Ignatius of Brest (Zhelezovsky).

Pruzhany Alexander Nevsky Cathedral has functioned continuously throughout its history. The first rector was Archpriest Andrei Chervyakovsky, and then Mitrophoric Archpriest Nikolai Zhukovich. In 1891, the cathedral received from the city Duma an icon with saints having names that coincide with members of the royal family.

On April 9, 1934, tears began to flow from the icon of the Mother of God at Golgotha. Since then, every year on April 9 and Bright Friday, believers celebrate a holiday dedicated to the miraculous "Pruzhanskaya Golgotha" (or "Pruzhanskaya (Crying) Icon of the Mother of God"). In addition, the "Fireproof Icon of the Mother of God" is kept here, which survived the fires in the Prechistenskaya Church and got into the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral after the destruction of the former temple. Other revered relics of the cathedral include icons of the XVII—XIX centuries: the Mother of God "Vladimirskaya" and "Iverskaya Gorodnyanskaya", "Assumption of the Virgin", "Archangel Michael", "Introduction to the Temple of the Virgin", "George the Victorious" and the altar cross with enamels.

After the Great Patriotic War, a plan for the development of Pruzhan was developed, which assumed the construction of a five-story apartment building next to the cathedral. This would deprive the faithful of the church cemetery and hide the temple behind the building. The opposition of believers to the construction lasted a month: a parishioner, Maria Mardan, was on duty at the bell tower, which began to ring when construction equipment approached. People from all over the city gathered to her call, not allowing work to begin and even standing under the bucket of the excavator. As a result, the construction site was moved outside the churchyard.

In the 1990s, the life of the parish revived: a large-scale restoration of the church was carried out, a Sunday school was built and a new cast-iron fence was installed. Since January 2006, part of the relics of the Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky has been located in the cathedral.

The cathedral has two side chapels: the left one was consecrated in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Life—giving Spring" (August 30, 1934), the right one in honor of St. Alexander Nevsky. Services are held on Fridays, Sundays and public holidays. There is a Sunday school, catechetical talks for adults are held, and an Orthodox sisterhood has been established in the name of the "Weeping Icon of the Mother of God."