The Catholic Church of St. Theresa in Shchuchin

The Catholic Church of St. Theresa in Shchuchin is a church with columns

There is something to see in the beautiful Belarusian town of Shchuchin. For example, one of the prominent landmarks is the Catholic Church of St. Theresa. It is located not far from Lake Rukotvornoe (Man-made) that is in the town park. Cannot you wait to stroll through shady alleys of the park and admire the view of the building with columns, designed in the classical style? So what are you waiting for? Buy tickets for train, bus or plane and come to Belarus.

The building of the church

The Catholic Church of St. Theresa is quite unusual in appearance. The extant building of the church was being built in Shchuchin from 1826 to 1829. However, it is known for certain that the Catholic parish had been founded much earlier – in 1436. This is anyone's guess how the building of the church looked in those days, because no evidence about its existence have survived. But the construction built at the monastery of the Piarists in 1829 has been preserved in a great condition till our days. Funds for construction of the temple were allocated by Prince Francis – Xavier Drutsky – Lyubetsky, a significant personality for Shchuchin.  

The power of the church

During its existence, the Church of St. Theresa has suffered from many trials. So in 1830, a year after the creation of the chuch, the monastery of the Piarists was closed in Shchuchin. Wave of closures of Catholic monasteries swept across Belarus. But the Shrine remained working and began to perform a leading role for the Catholic population of the town. In spite of hard times, people came there for masses. In 1927, Shchuchin became a part of Poland and the monastery of the Piarists was restored.

The tradition of serving

However, in 1954, services in the Church of St. Theresa were ceased by order of the Soviet authorities. That period had lasted till 1988 when the church was returned to the Catholics. And the temple was restored in 1989, and now its doors are opened both for parishioners and tourists. The tradition of serving in the Church of Piarist monks has remained and continues to this day.

The interior of the church

You will surely be amazed how the Catholic Church of St. Theresa follows the style of Classicism. The perfection of forms, the four columns and the layout of the temple in the form of a Latin cross are all features of the classical style. Interestingly, wooden elements are combined with monumental ones inside the temple. It is very unusual for Catholic Churches.  You, certainly, should pay attention to study the interior of the Church, to look at its beautiful stained-glass windows and see how St. Theresa looked, pray for her.

St. Theresa  

The full name of the Saint, in whose honor the Church is consecrated, is Theresa of Avila. She was born and grew up in Spain. Theresa was the first Spanish woman writer. The name-day of Theresa is celebrated by the Catholics on October 15. If you manage to visit the church this day, you will get at a magnificent worship in honor of the Saint. Don't miss the opportunity to stay in the church longer both to enjoy the interior, and to attend the service to the end.