From the objects of monumental architecture Slonim be sure to visit the temple, which is located in the center of the modern city. Cath. Churchs built in baroque style mid 17th century for the sisters of the Bernardine Order, who moved from Vilnius. One of the features of the church is that it faces the main street with an altar, and there is no central entrance as such at all (it can be clearly seen in the photo below).
Church of the Bernardines in Slonim built at the expense of Konstantin Yuditsky. Full title - Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, but sometimes it is reduced.
In 1696 the church was consecrated by the Archbishop of Vilna Konstantin Bzhostovsky. 70 years after the construction, the first modernization of the temple was carried out. At that time on territory of Belarus Rococo flourished. This led to the construction of as many as 5 altars in this architectural style in the church, but alas, the heritage was not preserved due to a fire that completely destroyed the temple.
The buildings of the Bernardine monastery are attached to the temple and form a single ensemble with it. It is interesting that the residential building of the monastery began to be erected much later than the church itself, only 100 years later.
After the restoration of the temple, which took place until 1793 under the leadership of Ovodovich, the Church of the Immaculate Conception continued its work.
However, during the reign of Alexander II, it was forbidden to accept new nuns into the monastery. The monastery gradually became empty, and the building fell into disrepair.
In 1907, the building of the Church of the Most Holy Virgin Mary began to be restored. During the modernization, the baroque temple acquired some features of classicism. The nuns of the order lived and served in the monastery until the advent of Soviet power, under which the sisters were expelled and the entrance gate to the church was destroyed.
In the early 2000s, the gate began to be rebuilt, and the finishing work was recently completed.
The church in Slonim is open to the public, located onface Pervomayskaya, 11.
If you walk a little further down the street, you can see another attraction - Transfiguration Cathedral. In addition, one of the the oldest synagogues in Belarus.
