The Sacred Heart of Jesus Church is located in the village of Hotovo, on the way to the Naliboki forest reserve. The village Hotovo, which many tourists visit, is a quite interesting place to see – outbuildings of the Lensky estate are preserved nowadays. The church was built in the village in 1776.

FROM CATHOLICISM TO ORTHODOXY

At that time, a wooden church, which was located at the cemetery, was a place of sorrow and joy for Catholics. It is known that in 1867 Catholicism was banned by a Russian Emperor throughout the Russian Empire. Thus, many churches were closed on the territory of Belarus. So, the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic church became an Orthodox Church.

In 1921, Western Belarus became part of Poland. Thus, the church in the village of Hotovo became a Catholic church again.

RESTORATION

The Sacred Heart of Jesus Church was rebuilt in 1931. It became a stone Catholic church. In the same year, the construction was completed. The church was not destroyed during the following years.

Restoration works were carried out only in 1991. Today the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church is a historical monument of Romanesque style, which features a simple shape of arches and windows. The front part of the church has a round window with a stone frame. A belfry gives an asymmetrical appearance to the church, but this is not a disadvantage of the Catholic church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

If you are a fan of the Neo-Romanesque style in architecture, you should definitely visit the village Hotovo. Also, it is interesting that there are several churches called the Sacred Heart of Jesus. They are located in different parts of the country. For example, there are churches in Lyakhovichi, Olsztyn, in the village Ilia.

Pilgrims from different countries come to Hotovo in order to pay their respects to the ancient church. Many religious tours are held annually in our country. You can visit sacred places of Belarus, to see churches, which are historically and spiritually valuable.

Local people take care of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic church in the village of Hotovo and they teach their children from a young age not only to come to church but also to clean the territory near the church. Little Hotovo villagers begin to understand that they are responsible for the preservation of the heritage that was left by their great-grandparents.