Svetilovichi. St. Louis Church

There is a small town Svetilovichi on the way between Belynichi and Mogilev. Before the revolution, the most significant building in the town was the Catholic Church of St. Louis.

In the Belynichi region, the Carmelite monastery was considered the largest and most ancient church. This church was handed over to Orthodox believers in the 19th century during the Russian Empire and Catholics were left without a temple. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were some changes in relation to other denominations and Catholics received permission to build a new church.

The temple was built in Svetilovichi, which are located near Belynichi. According to historical sources, the sponsors of the church were the sisters Emilia, Sofia and Maria, who wanted to build a church in honor of their only brother. Funds for the temple were also collected by all the believers of the surrounding area. First of all, Vendalovsky, Gladinsky and Vasilevsky took an active part in collecting donations. The bricks for the building were made from local clay in Svetilovichi. By 1903, the church was built, and in 1904 the church was consecrated. The church was named after Saint Louis, King of France, who lived in the 13th century. The church was the center of the parish and Catholic believers from nearby villages and towns came here. The most revered here was the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Belynich, a list of which was available in the temple.

In Soviet times, the church was transferred to a local collective farm, then a club and a school were placed. After the war, the facade of the building was rebuilt and adapted to the board of the collective farm and the library. Now there is a post office in the former church.