Vitebsk. The building of the former Diocesan Women's College

In 1902, a women's theological college was built in Vitebsk, on Dukhovaya Gora (Spirit Mountain), located near the now-lost Church of the Holy Spirit. Architects A. Pavlovsky and P. Vinogradov designed a restrained but elegant complex that harmoniously fits into the historical environment of the city.

The college, founded in 1864, provided the daughters of priests with the opportunity to receive secondary education and prepare for life. In addition to traditional subjects such as history, arithmetic, geography and the Law of God, the pupils studied church singing, penmanship, needlework, and also acquired farming skills: they worked in the garden, took care of animals, studied the basics of education and medicine.

The fate of the building reflects the history of many institutions of that time. Over the years, there were located here: a military hospital (during the First World War), the headquarters of the Vitebsk Aviation Brigade (in the 1920s - 1930s), and during the Soviet period and to the present – the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee. Despite the change of functions, the architectural appearance of the building has mostly been preserved.

The school building is distinguished by its strict symmetry and monumentality. The facade is decorated with a balcony of the assembly hall, supported by four columns. There was a dining room in the basement, classrooms on the first and second floors, and the bedrooms of the students on the upper floor. Initially, the school was a three-grade school with a six-year term of study, and in 1868 it received the status of a diocesan women's college, which expanded the curriculum. Subsequently, under the patronage of Empresses Maria Alexandrovna and Maria Feodorovna, the seventh pedagogical department was opened, which gave graduates the right to teach at home.

Today, this beautiful historical building attracts the eyes of tourists and highlights the spirit of Vitebsk very well.

While walking through the historical center of Vitebsk and visiting the amphitheater, you can climb the mountain, where an architectural monument of national significance has been preserved to our time – the building of the former women's diocesan school.

This building was built specifically for this institution in 1901-1902. Civil engineer Alexander Pavlovsky designed the main building. And the design of the auxiliary premises was carried out by engineer Peter Vinogradov. Once upon a time there was a monastery and a church of the Holy Spirit on this place. The main building was connected to the church by a closed gallery.

During the First World War, a military hospital was located in the buildings of the school. And in the Soviet years after the revolution, the headquarters of the aviation brigade was located here. After the war in the 1940s, the Vitebsk branch of the Belgosproject Institute developed a project for the reconstruction of the building of the women's college, while the decor of the main facade was preserved. In the 1970s, an extension was made to the main building and a clock tower was built on the site of the former church of the Holy Spirit.

The building is stone, three-storey E-shaped in plan. The main facade of the school is highlighted by a central risalite, which has a balcony of the assembly hall on the second floor. The balcony supports 4 pillars. The interior has a gallery layout. There were classrooms on the first and second floors, and bedrooms on the third floor. The basement was adapted for the dining room and kitchen.

Now the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee is located in the architectural monument.