In the territory Belarus Neo-Gothic churches are quite common. A striking and in its own way unique example of such architecture is Church of Saint Casimir in Lipnishkakh.
The Catholic parish in the town of Lipnishki appeared at the beginning 16th century, at the same time the first wooden church was built, which stood until the Northern War. In 1804 with money Galyasha Bezborodko another church was built, also made of wood. Its fate was similar to its predecessor - the temple burned down. In its place is now a small chapel. This is how the history of the stone Church of Saint Casimir began to build in 1900 (according to other sources in 1890).
The construction and arrangement of the temple was carried out at the expense of Alexander Volsky (the then owner of Lipnishki) and lasted for almost 10 years. However, some construction work continued until 1927.
The temple belongs to the neo-gothic style of architecture, but stands out from its counterparts. The walls of the church in Lipnishki are lined with square hewn stones. A similar approach can be seen in Church of Our Lady of the Rozhentsova in Sands.
The Lipniškės church has a rectangular shape and ends with a trihedral apse, and sacristies are located on the sides.
The central place in the architecture of the temple is occupied by a high octagonal tower in three tiers with a pointed tent completion, decorated with small lucarnes.
In front of the entrance to the church territory, a massive three-arch gate with kicks decorated with teeth.
Interestingly, in Soviet times, the church apparently did not close. It is only known that in the 50s the building of the plebanium was confiscated.
In 1970, the church in the agro-town of Lipnishki was recognized as a historical and cultural heritage and received the appropriate protection status.
How to get to Lipnishki?
Get to the village of Lipnishki from Minsk the easiest way is by car. The distance is about 165 kilometers and will take about 2 hours. Along the way, you can visit Rakov, Volozhin, Ivye - if you drive along the M6 highway. Or the second option is World и Novogrudok on the road P11 and P5.
Atmospheric photo from the main square of Lipniszek. Shopping malls are visible on the left (the building is lost)