Zakozel. Chapel-tomb of Ozheshko.

Story

The chapel was built in 1849 according to the design of the Polish architect Francis Jaschald with the consent of the Vilna bishop Andrzej Klongiewicz on the outskirts of the park as the family tomb of Orzeszko and the following owners of the estate: Bobrinsky, Talochkov.

According to local legend, after the suppression of the uprising of 1863-1864, the leader of the Kobrin rebel detachment, Romuald Traugutt, took refuge in the high spire of the chapel, where there was a small storeroom. This refuge was offered to him by Elisa Orzeszko, who helped transport Romuald to Poland after the search gradually died down. It is worth noting that Eliza’s husband, Peter, was exiled to the Perm province for participating in the uprising.

The chapel was abolished in 1865 due to the fact that “the existence of the chapel has a bad influence on Zakozel’s many servants, and the isolation of the estate makes it difficult to supervise Polish propaganda.” However, with the permission of the Chief Head of the region, Mikhail Muraev, it was transferred to the landowner Kalikst Ozheshko for transformation into a “gravestone monument” with the explanation: “since this chapel was not a parish and was the property of the owners of the estate, the property and the building must be returned to Ozheshko, however, so that the chapel is converted into a tomb with the destruction of the church domes on it and so that there would be no altar or any devices for worship left in the building"

In 1867, efforts were made to rebuild the temple into an Orthodox church according to the design of the architect Chekmasov, which was opposed by the surrounding nobility.

In 1915, during the First World War, the copper covering of the roof was removed. A new zinc roof was laid by the landowner Karol Taloczka, who bought the estate in 1923.

Architecture

An architectural monument of a retrospective-Gothic style. The central square structure is covered with acute-angled gable roofs, the intersection of which is marked by a high tetrahedral tent with a faceted spire and a Gothic cross at the end. The variegated silhouette and vertical orientation of the spatial composition are given by angular double pinnacles, between which sculptures of evangelists are placed in Gothic portals (cast iron).

The facades are richly dotted with buttresses grouped at the corners, tiered arrow-shaped and three-lobed niches. The arched entrance portal is decorated on top with round coats of arms of Ozheshko (artistic cast iron). The colorful richness of the building was created by high-quality “exposed” brickwork, copper roofing, and whitewashed decorative elements.

The hall is covered with a mirrored vault, rich in ornamentation from thin molded ribs. Sculptural images of the evangelists (not preserved) were located in the corner arched niches. Arched windows and dormer windows with geometric patterned sashes that were filled with colored stained glass. Under the chapel there is a crypt-tomb, where gatherings lead in the center of the hall.

Current state

At the moment, the chapel is gradually collapsing due to a lack of funding for its restoration or, at least, conservation. The external and internal plaster has almost completely collapsed, the stained glass windows have not been preserved, the ceilings and roof are in disrepair. Local authorities are making attempts to monitor the territory of the former park; the chapel itself is surrounded by a fence, the entrances are closed with bars. But the complete lack of funding does not allow stopping the rapid process of destruction of structures.

In 2008, archaeological excavations were carried out in and near the chapel, as a result of which the remains of representatives of the Ozheshko family, fragments of the Slutsk belt, human bones, bronze remains of coffins, and clothes of the dead were found. Archaeological finds aroused a certain interest in the condition of the monument, and design and estimate documentation for the restoration of the chapel was prepared. In November 2019, emergency work began at the site to prevent further destruction of the landmark. Restorers cleared the roof of debris, reduced the load on the vault and protected it from precipitation. In 2020, a six-meter spire was installed on the tomb chapel.