20 kilometers from Dzerzhinsk there is a neat and well-kept agricultural town Rubezhyvichi, there is a neo-Gothic Church of St. Joseph, is one of the main attractions of this place.
Rubezhevichi has been known since the 15th century as the possession of Prince Vasily the Udaly (Vereisky). Then the lands passed to the Radziwills, who were the owners of the Rubezhevichs until 1652, and after that they rented them out.
The owners changed, and the pages of history were turned, until in 1853 the estate finally passed to the Wittgenstein family.
This is how we smoothly approach the construction of a modern church in Rubezhevichi, permission for which was received in 1905. The temple was built on the site of its wooden predecessor.
Work on the construction of the temple began in 1907, and in 1911 the church was solemnly consecrated in honor of St. Joseph.
Church in Rubezhevichy really impressive: two 45-meter three-tiered bell towers with pointed spiers, united by a stepped pediment.
All windows and openings at the church are lancet (distinctive features of Gothic and Neo-Gothic).
The temple is clearly visible even at the entrance to the agro-town. A stone fence and gates are broken around, erected in 1924 in the general style.
Stone Park in Rubezhevichi
Another integral attraction of this place is the boulders in front of the temple, which form a small park. The official opening took place in 2006 and was timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Church of St. Joseph.
A total of park stones – 46 boulders of various sizes, each of which is engraved with the name of a settlement related to the history of Rubezhevichi. In the center of the composition there is a cross assembled from small stones.
During the Second World War, Rubezhevichi was occupied and the church was not operational at that time, but fortunately it was not destroyed and has been preserved in its original form to this day.
Today the temple is active and open to all comers.
See the location of the church on the map, plus a short overview video:
Not far from the agricultural town of Rubezhevichi you can see tomb of the Dybowskis and curious the village of Kul.
