Chaysi

Chausy is a town in Mogilev region with a population of just over 10 thousand people. It is situated on a bank of the Basya River. The town is known in Belarus as a «Cossack capital» that attracts tourists.

There is a legend that the town received such an unusual name in the name of the Ambassador of the Crimean khan Mirza Chaus, who once had stayed in the town.

The town was first mentioned in written sources since 1581 as a village called Chausovichi. In 1604     Sigismund III gave Chausy the status of a town. King Vladislav gave the town the Magdeburg Law and a coat of arms, where St. Martin on a horse is depicted.

The town became known as the «Cossack capital» of Belarus after the location of the Ukrainian and Belarusian Cossacks under the leadership of Colonel Nechaj. After the second partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth the town’s lands were a part of the Russian Empire. As a result the town’s coat of arms was changed: a new authority abolished it and it acquired a new appearance. Swords laid cross under the bay leaf was depicted on it. This was done in order to commemorate the victory of Russian troops over the Swedes at the battle of Lesnaya in 1708.

A huge number of architectural monuments have been lost, but despite this there is something to see in Chausy.

It is better to start the tour in the town with the Treasury building, built in 1902. Today it is occupied with the local history Museum expositions of which help guests of the town to learn about its history, culture and traditions.

The pharmacy building, built in the first half of the 19^th century, has been preserved to our days. Historians say that the pharmacy building was at the Church of the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel formerly.

In the town you can also go for a walk through the ancient Park, planted in 1884. Fragments of the modern layout of the Park have been preserved till today. In the Park you can see the Alley of Heroes and the monument in honor of the dead during the Great Patriotic War.   

Thanks to the residents of the town the Church of St. Nicholas made of stone was built in Chausy at the end of the 19^th century. They sent a letter to the Emperor Nicholas II, in which they asked to build a new Church in the town as the old one fell into disrepair. Nicholas II responded to the request of the citizens and gave money for construction. That is why the Church was named after him. In 1960 there was a club in the temple. The building fell into disrepair because of it. Now they are working on its restoration.

In 2005 the Church of the Virgin Mary the Mother was built in the town. Despite the fact that it was built in modern times, but the Church is notable for the beauty and uniqueness of architectural forms.

There is another zest in the town: it is often visited by fans of Hollywood actors brothers Kirk and Michael Douglas. Certainly, many who do not know begin to wonder how Hollywood can be associated with Chausy. But here is the thing: once Hollywood actors’ parents lived in this small town under the surname of the Danielovich-Demskoys. After moving to America in 1910 they changed the surname to Douglas.