The modern variant of the Catholic Church has little in common with the ancient foregoer; however, it is of deep and permanent interest among the citizens and visitors of Belarus. There are a lot of tourist and religious routes leading to the new structure.

The ancient foregoer

The Church of Jesus Crist (the original version for the today Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross) was constructed in 1768 upon an initiative and at the expense of the local benefactor Joseph Gilzen. The church was closely associated with his palace, being a religious annex, the entrance of which was at the level of the second floor of the palace, with a huge staircase leading there. The architectural design of the building was rather remarkable; it presented the combination of Classicism and Renaissance, popular at that time.

In the 30-s of the next century the church and palace were severely damaged by the fire. Although relatively soon the church was restored, in the 40-s of the XX century it was definitively closed.

By that time, in 1858, not far from the church, in the territory of the cemetery, there was erected a brick chapel that we can still see there. Its location is interesting as well as the exterior. Thanks to the hill, the chapel as if bigger and more massive than it really is. As for the latter, from the very beginning the erection has been acknowledged as the brightest example of Retro-Gothic style: a frontal rose-window, some high towers, metal crosses on the walls and other typical features.

The new church

The construction of the modern variant of the church in the village Ahremovtsy, in Belmonty Park, was started several times. The first attempt was in 1939, but due to the certain reasons, the construction was stopped, and later the grounds of the future church were fully pulled down. The second attempt was in 1988; however, the process was delayed for an exceptional length of time. At last, the opening of the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross took place in 2003. The festive consecration was held by the bishop Vladislav Blin, and the first mass on Catholic Christmas was held by the priest Dariyush Kubitsa.

Every ten years there takes place the holiday in the church that gathers not only the locals but also guests from the nearby area. Of course, the respectable bishops are also present.

Despite the distance from the regional center, a lot of popular tourist routes lead to the village Ahremovtsy. For example, you can visit the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and at the same time admire the local chapel within the framework of a city break. You can also visit historically and culturally interesting towns, such as Vitebsk, Miory, Ikazn, Braslav, Opsa, Vidzy, Druya, Zarechye, Mezhany, and, of course, Minsk.

The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross shows that even a ten-year building can be of great interest for historians and simply curious guests of Belarus. Visit such an authentic architectural monument!