Church in Soly, which can be seen today, was built in 20-30s, 20th century. However, the history of this place begins much earlier. The first wooden temple appeared here at the end of the 16th century (1589 year). It was erected with the hetman's money Christopher Radziwill.
History and modern look
Radziwill Church was practically destroyed during the Russian-Polish war. It was restored rather quickly, but the next version existed only until the war of 1812. Despite the destruction, diligence and perseverance, the church was rebuilt in 1829. They came to their modern look only at the beginning of the 20th century, when Soly was part of Interwar Poland.
Stone Church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Soly started building in 1926. The architecture of the new building has clear style features modern interspersed with neo-baroque.
The temple was built with the money of parishioners and, according to surviving data, cost PLN 540. The church was solemnly consecrated in 1934 year and open to everyone.
The architect of the Church of Our Lady of Rozhentsova was Adam Dubanovich, and the construction itself was supervised by the foreman Boniface Trakhnevich.
The church in Soly is a building with a height 35 meters having a multidimensional volumetric-spatial composition. The basis of the building was a voluminous nave with a gable roof. The vertical dominant of the building is the side belfry tower with a figured top.
Also in the architecture of the church stands out its asymmetryThere are very few similar temples in Belarus. One gets the feeling that no matter which side you look at, the building is different everywhere.
It is noteworthy that under the Soviet regime the church was not closed and continued to receive parishioners.
Why is the church in Soly unusual?
The Church of Our Lady of Rozhentsova is not only beautiful, but also quite mysterious. For example, on the roof of the temple figure of a swordsman. A colorful knight (?) with a huge sword and flag, who is this? The crown and ancient clothes allude to kings, but who exactly? If you have an answer, be sure to write in the comments.
In addition to the statue, there are other interesting details. The church has a maritime theme. The balcony next to the altar is made in the form Boats, and above the entrance to the temple are depicted cross and anchor. Above which is the inscription in Polish “Pójdźcie Do Mnie WSZyscy Ktorzy Pracvjecie I Jescie Obciazeni A JA WAS Ochlodze“. It means something like “come to me all those who are working and burdened, and I will refresh you".
In the interior of the temple, it is worth highlighting the altar image of the Mother of God of Czestochowa and the side frescoes "Defense of Czestochowa" and "Miracle over the Vistula". After the end of the war, the frescoes were completely painted over. They were restored in the early 2000s.
According to many polls, the church in the agricultural town of Soly is among the ten most beautiful churches in Belarus.
How to get to Soly?
Agricultural town of Soly located in the Grodno region. The nearest major cities are Smorgon и Oshmyany. From Minsk by car the road will take approx. 2 hours and 135 kilometers. The village has a railway station and regular buses.
While in these parts, visit Gervyaty и tomb in the village of Ivashkivtsi.
