Agricultural town Shchorsy Novogrudok district is attractive for tourists, mainly Khreptovichi Palace and Park Ensemble. Among the buildings of the famous family was a religious temple. Church in Shchorsyerected in the name Saint Demetrius of Thessalonicacan be seen on the main street.
The temple that we can see today dates back to the 18th century. But earlier on this place there was a wooden church, built back in 1396 and destroyed during a fire in 1758.
The new temple was built of brick at the expense of Ioakim Khreptovich. The European architects Giuseppe Sacco, Carlo Spampani and Jakub Gabriel worked on the project of the church. Construction work was completed in 1776.
Initially, services were held in the temple for Catholics. A little later, it was transferred to the use of the Uniates.
Architecture
In architectural terms Church of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica in Shchorsy, simplicity of form and rigor prevail, which speak of a classical style with baroque elements.
The arched gallery with a portico adds sophistication to the temple. The height of the windows immediately catches the eye. If we digress a little from architectural terms, we can compare the temple with a white ship.
From the second half of the 19th century, the church became Orthodox. Probably during the First World War the high bell tower of the church was destroyed. In the 1960s, the temple was closed by the Soviet authorities and used as a gym, and a little later as a warehouse for storing grain. Since 1988, the religious building passed to the Orthodox Church and underwent reconstruction.
Nowadays, the temple can be visited, services are held here for parishioners. Location on the map:
Not far from the agricultural town of Shchorsy, you can see Lubcha Castle. More sights of Belarus on the map.
In the old photo, the temple certainly looks much more interesting, it’s a pity that they didn’t begin to restore