Ruzhany. The Church of the Holy Trinity.

The history of the church in Ruzhany began at the end of the XV century, when the first wooden church appeared on this site, built by Nikolai Yazlovetsky and his wife Alexandra from the Tyshkevich family. In 1598, Ruzhany was bought by the great Lithuanian Chancellor Lev Sapieha. In 1596, Lev Sapieha allocated funds for the construction of the Trinity Church in his family estate. Originally the church was wooden, but in 1615-1617 a stone church in the early Baroque style was built in its place, consecrated in honor of the Holy Trinity by the Bishop of Vilna.

In the XVIII century, the church was rebuilt and supplemented with the chapels of the Holy Cross (1768) and St. Barbara (1787), the project of which was developed by the architect Jan Samuel Becker, invited from Saxony, who served as the court architect at Sapieha. In the middle of the XIX century, the church of the Holy Trinity was rebuilt again and acquired the features of classicism, and at the end of the same century there was a severe fire in it. However, it was quickly restored by the efforts of the rector and parishioners.

During the Soviet period, the church continued to be active, priests of the Dominican Order served in it. Despite attempts by the Soviet authorities to close the temple, the shrine was defended.

Since the spring of 2021, the church has housed one of the national shrines of Belarus — the icon of St. Barbara, made in the technique of cloisonne enamel by Nikolai Kuzmich. Before getting to the place of its permanent location, the icon traveled a long way across the country. Now the Church of the Holy Trinity in Ruzhany is still in operation and is one of the attractions of the urban settlement that attracts tourists.

The visual accent of the temple is a high four-tiered tower. The lower tier has the shape of a high quadrangle, the subsequent tiers are octagonal, and the upper one is completed with a tent. The main facade of the temple is decorated with pilasters, and the side walls are reinforced with buttresses. In general, this is all the exterior decoration, not counting the stone fence and the entrance gate with arched niches. But there is something to see inside!

The main altar is a portico with four columns of dark marble and Corinthian capitals. In the center of the altar is the image of the crucified Christ, above it is the eye of God the Father, and above it is the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. Thus, the entire Holy Trinity is represented in its entirety. The composition ends with the coat of arms of the Sapieha family, and the altar decor is complemented by sculptures of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul and stucco. By the way, the altar is very ancient and has retained its appearance since the XVII century.

The temple also has two side altars made in the XVIII century. They are made of stone and represent porticos in the classical style. One is decorated with a sculpture of Christ, the other with the Virgin Mary. Other elements of the temple's decor include murals, Baroque stucco ornaments, sculptures and paintings, including a full-length portrait of St. Casimir in one of the chapels. 

There is also a font of the late XVIII century, a miraculous cross of the same time and a monument to Boleslav Bisping, a friend of Alexander Mikhail Sapieha. In the vestibule of the church you can find a cross of the XVI century, which hung in the very first wooden church. Inside, you can inspect the original doors, which may have once been touched by Lev Sapieha himself. Above the entrance there are choirs with a balustrade and consoles, on which an ancient organ is installed. The decoration is complemented by massive chandeliers, candlesticks and vases with flowers. Two rows of comfortable wooden benches are provided for the parishioners.