A striking and one of the few surviving examples of Renaissance architecture in Belarus - Church of St. Michael in Smorgon, originally built as a Calvin collection. This temple with all the defensive attributes was erected to replace the old wooden predecessor on the banks of the Oksna River in the first half of the 17th century.
Work on the stone collection went on from 1606 to 1612, and funds for the construction were allocated Nikolai Boguslav Zenovich - a prominent figure in the Grand Duchy of that time. However, in 1617, the building, which belonged to the Calvinists, was transferred to the disposal of the Catholics. In 1621, the collection was re-consecrated in Trinity Church and until 1866 it was in the use of the Catholic community.
During its long history, this Smorgon temple suffered a lot and was repeatedly destroyed. Because of this, the architecture changed slightly, but the main style of the building remained unchanged. The main volume of the church has an octagonal shape with an adjoining belfry tower.
Visually, the church is divided into 2 tiers. The lower one is larger with arched windows and without much decoration. The upper tier is decorated with interesting niches and pilasters.
Another interesting detail in the architecture is a small turret with loopholes to the right of the main entrance.
In the second half of the 19th century, the church was taken into the bosom of the Orthodox Church and re-consecrated in Holiday-Mikhailovskaya. During this period, the temple lost some elements of decor inherent in Catholic shrines. During the restructuring, the height of the belfry tower, in which the main entrance is located, was reduced by two floors.
The Orthodox church served for about 55 years, after which, in 1921, it was returned to the Catholics, although they were pretty destroyed during the First World War.
By 1930, the church in Smorgon was restored, again changing the appearance of the ancient church.
After the end of World War II, the church of St. Michael was closed. The following years, as for many other churches in Belarus, were rather difficult.
In the 1970s, a significant reconstruction of the building was carried out, retaining the features of the Renaissance, the original architecture. And soon an exhibition hall was organized within the walls of the ancient temple.
After the collapse of the USSR, the Church of St. Michael the Archangel was returned to believers and opened to visitors. Surprisingly, powerful three-meter walls with clear outlines still keep the 400-year history of this place. The main attraction of the city is located at the address: Balysh street 1, below is a point with a mark on the map.
Not far from Smorgon you can visit Oginsky Museum in Zalesyeand see the ruins Kreva castle.
