Spot on the map: The Church of St. Tadeusz
The Church of St. Tadeusz in the village of Luchai, Postavy district, is an architectural giant among rural pasporalia. The last monument of the Jesuit Baroque in the Belarusian lands.
The church has the status of historical and cultural value. The church was built in 1776. All its predecessors, starting from 1731, were wooden.
The mission of Jesuit monks in Luchai appeared thanks to Elżbieta-Magdalena Oginska. This educated woman was engaged in astronomical observations in her palace in Luchai, and she donated a considerable sum of money for the foundation of an observatory at the Vilna Jesuit Academy. Donations for the construction of the church were made by Michael and Tadeusz Oginsky.
Italian architect Carlo Spampani, who taught at the Vilna Jesuit Academy at that time, worked on the design of the building. Initially the temple was erected in the Baroque style. However, in the XIX century after additional construction works in the architecture appeared features of classicism. It is the belonging to the transitional type that makes the temple unique from the architectural point of view.
The towers of the church are partly made in the form of miniature ancient temples. The walls and vaults are decorated with frescoes in the grisaille style, which imitates sculptural molding. According to one version, the church was painted by Kazimir Ontaszewski, an outstanding artist of that time.
Earlier on the facade between the towers there were chimes that beat the time every 30 minutes. The organ, installed in 1811, has survived to this day. The instrument is still used during services and sometimes organ concerts are organized.
After World War II the church was closed and the priests were exiled to Siberia. The building was used as a warehouse for a long time. Fortunately, the interior decoration was preserved, and the restoration in 1985 breathed new life into the church.
In 2008, the world's first monument to Pope Benedict XVI was erected near St. Tadeusz Church. In the left part of the territory an artificial pond with aquatic plants and a statue of the Virgin Mary in a niche was created.
Welcome to Belarus!
The church has the status of historical and cultural value. The church was built in 1776. All its predecessors, starting from 1731, were wooden.
The mission of Jesuit monks in Luchai appeared thanks to Elżbieta-Magdalena Oginska. This educated woman was engaged in astronomical observations in her palace in Luchai, and she donated a considerable sum of money for the foundation of an observatory at the Vilna Jesuit Academy. Donations for the construction of the church were made by Michael and Tadeusz Oginsky.
Italian architect Carlo Spampani, who taught at the Vilna Jesuit Academy at that time, worked on the design of the building. Initially the temple was erected in the Baroque style. However, in the XIX century after additional construction works in the architecture appeared features of classicism. It is the belonging to the transitional type that makes the temple unique from the architectural point of view.
The towers of the church are partly made in the form of miniature ancient temples. The walls and vaults are decorated with frescoes in the grisaille style, which imitates sculptural molding. According to one version, the church was painted by Kazimir Ontaszewski, an outstanding artist of that time.
Earlier on the facade between the towers there were chimes that beat the time every 30 minutes. The organ, installed in 1811, has survived to this day. The instrument is still used during services and sometimes organ concerts are organized.
After World War II the church was closed and the priests were exiled to Siberia. The building was used as a warehouse for a long time. Fortunately, the interior decoration was preserved, and the restoration in 1985 breathed new life into the church.
In 2008, the world's first monument to Pope Benedict XVI was erected near St. Tadeusz Church. In the left part of the territory an artificial pond with aquatic plants and a statue of the Virgin Mary in a niche was created.
Welcome to Belarus!
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