Volpa. St. John the Baptist Church

On the outskirts of the village of Volpa near the cemetery there is an ancient church of the 18th century with an unusual interior.

The first Catholic church in Volpa was built in the 15th century and consecrated by the Bishop of Vilna under the double name of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist. In the 16th century, Prince Alexander Golshansky founded a chapel in honor of St. Anna at the church.

In 1618, a new church with 4 altars was built. Then there was a fire that destroyed the church and a few years later in 1640 a new church was built with the money of Kazimir Lev Sapieha. There were 6 different altars in the temple and a tall bell tower above the entrance. There was a crypt with the graves of the Kostitsev family, and Yan Knyazevich was buried under the chapel of St. Anna.

In the 17th century, a hospital operated at the church, which had a wooden chapel.

When the wooden church became obsolete and fell into disrepair, a new building was erected in 1773, which still exists today. Altars with sculptures from the old building were installed in the new church. In March 1776, Bishop Joseph Kosakovsky consecrated the church under the historical name of St. John the Baptist.

The church is single-nave with a transept. The main facade has two-tiered towers with a triangular pediment between them. In the interior, the main two-tiered two-meter altar is a monument of monumental and decorative art of the 17th century in the Baroque style. The lower tier is divided by 4 columns of the Corinthian order into 3 parts, and in the center there is an icon of the crucifixion. From the sides of the sculpture of Saints Casimir and John the Baptist. On the second tier on the pediment there is an image of Sabaoth on a decorative cloud. There are 2 angels on both sides of the image. There are also sculptures of St. Elizabeth and St. Catherine, and according to another version, these are the apostles Peter and Paul.

On the base of the altar is a coat of arms belonging to the Subchancellor Kazimir Lev Sapieha, who was one of the sponsors of the church.

The side altars are also two-tiered. On the left is the altar of Our Lady of Ruzhantsova, which was made in the 17th century for the money of Stanislav Kostitsa. On the right is the altar of Our Lady of Ostrobram in the 18th century. At the entrance there are choirs on which the organ is located. This musical instrument was created in the early 20th century in the neo-Baroque style.

In front of the church there is a stone two-tiered bell tower of the 19th century. The perimeter of the temple is surrounded by a stone fence with a gate.