There is a curious village in the Vitebsk region Gubino, where you can look at the ruins of an 18th century temple. This Church of St. Anthony, which dates from 1714. It was built with the money of the Polotsk steward Jan Pakash, as part of the Franciscan monastery.
This is what this complex looked like in its best years:
The Franciscan monastery in Gubino was closed in 1833, but the church itself remained active and, apparently, was never rebuilt, preserving the original architecture.
The Church of St. Anthony was built during the dawn of the architectural movement - vilno baroque. This temple can be attributed to this style. It stood out with high three-tiered towers, the façade of the church was decorated with a complex broken front, the walls were decorated with arched niches and pilasters, and ended with a rectangular apse.
According to archival data, in 1924 the Church of St. Anthony was noted as functioning, and according to the recollections of local residents of Gubino, services were held until 1929. However, then the temple was closed, crosses were dismantled from the towers, and all valuables were taken away.
A few years after its closure, they decided to convert the church into a club where dances and various meetings were held. In the post-war years, the building was even used as a warehouse for agricultural products.
In the mid-60s of the last century, they decided to blow up an ancient architectural monument. However, this idea was not fully realized. At the moment, one quadruple tower with a height of three tiers, partly the far wall and elements of the basements have been preserved.
Check out the short review video I made in 2015:
The ruins of the church in the village of Gubino are located on a hill and are clearly visible from the road, below is the point with a mark on the map:
If you're in the area, be sure to check out Lepel.
