Ruzhany. Peter and Paul Church

Initially, in 1639, Marshal Kazimir Lev Sapieha built a temple with a Basilian monastery on this site. In 1675, Princess Christina Mosalskaya, who owned Ruzhany at that time, transformed this building on the model of the Uniate one. In 1762, a new temple was built on the site of the Uniate temple, the author of the project of which was the architect J. S. Becker. Construction began only ten years later and was completed in the period from 1772 to 1778 (or from 1784 to 1788). In 1781, with the permission of Metropolitan Jason Smogorzhevsky, Proto-Archimandrite Porfiry Vazhinsky consecrated the church in the name of the Apostles Peter and Paul. Funds for the construction were allocated by Prince Alexander Sapega.

The project of J. S. Becker almost completely corresponds to the modern design of the building, which allows us to judge the absence of serious external changes over the entire period of its existence. In 1875, a dome on a small drum was erected over the altar room.

The facade of the building with a quadrangular bell tower is oriented to the east, while the apse with the altar, baptismal room and sacristy is oriented to the west. To complete the risalite, which highlights the main facade in the center, a developed entablature and a two-stage attic with a triangular pediment were chosen. Previously, the attic was completed by a balustrade with four sculptures of saints, and the base of the tower — sculptures of soaring angels. The two-tiered four-tiered belfry tower, towering over the attic, is completed with a head on a drum. The main facade has a baroque plastic character, created by numerous crepes with layered pilasters, profiled rods and various niches.

In 1834, the first inventory of the temple was carried out, related to the liquidation of the monastery and its foundation. The wooden ceiling part was covered with plaster, and the cornices had a flat oval shape. Above the space of the main hall there was a painting on the theme "Transfiguration", and above the altar part — "The Lord of Hosts". In order to preserve the plaster and artistic images, a shield was created, but the paintings in many places were damaged by moisture. In the altar part there was a black plaque with the inscription of the painter Fusgord, to whom, apparently, the paintings belong.

The ceiling of the main church hall is a mirrored vault. The painting entitled "Transfiguration" was restored after the fire of 1895 and restored at the beginning of the XX century. To the left and right of the apse, separated by a wooden carved iconostasis, there are medallions with images of the apostles Peter and Paul. The church houses an icon from 1865, made on a board with an ornament "Our Lady of Hodegetria" (about 1648), which, according to many assumptions, protected the temple from the fire of 1895, which destroyed almost the entire town of Ruzhany.

Currently, the rector of the church is Priest Sen. Alexander Nikolaevich. In the summer of 1990, the renovation of the church began, and since 1992, a Sunday school has been operating. The temple continues to be active and attracts attention with its rich history and architecture.