The small town of Ivanovo is the administrative center of Ivanovo region, which went down in history as the place where the martyr Andrew Bobola was captivated by the Ukrainian Cossacks and brutally tortured. He is widely revered in the Catholic Church not only as a Saint but also as a guardian of Poland, Belarus and the Diocese of Pinsk in particular. Andrew Bobola was famous for centuries for his ardent faith and the desire to convey the light of the Christian faith to people. He was even called “the Apostle of Polesye” or “the Apostle of Pinsk” for the preaching and spread of Christianity in Polesye.

The ancient city of Ivanovo

Initially, the city was known as Porkhov – the Grand Duke Vytautas gave the ownership to Lutsk Cathedral in 1423. The majority of Lutsky bishops were buried in there.

Then Porkhov, on the initiative of Bishop Yan Losovich, became known as Ianov. In 1497, another prince of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – Alexander Jagiellon gave local people the right to conduct three annual fairs. The town developed rapidly, because the locals worked hard and made a lot of effort to do so. However, there was a fire in 1575, which broke prosperity. It could never be reconstructed, that often happened in the past, but even there the locals showed their perseverance and hard work, restoring Yanov.

During its existence, the town changed a lot of owners, was part of the territories of different states, starting with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and ending with the BSSR in the twentieth century.

The main attraction of the city

Holy Cross Church, built in 1848, is widely regarded as a key attraction of Ivanovo. One of the corners of the fence is a chapel. Its placement is not a coincidence: it is believed that Andrew Bobola was tortured by Cossacks about this place in 1657. That is why the chapel is dedicated to the memory of the Saint and his martyrdom. Moreover, the crosses and a memorial plaque are installed nearby that remind visitors of the tragic events of the war between Russia and the Commonwealth. You will be interested to know why there are two crosses, not one. In fact, one of them represents the Orthodox, and the second – the Catholic denomination. It is a sign of the brutal murder of a preacher that does not fit into any framework of morality, and therefore it is equally revered both by Orthodox and Catholic believers.

The
architectural style of Holy Cross Church of Ivanovo is Empire style. Church,
rectangular in plan, has no towers. The main facade, topped by a stepped attic,
is of light color. Pilasters with contrasting red and pink tint impressively
stand on it. The historical value is located at the left altar – a wooden
cross, which was created by Napoleon Orda at one time. Here is the figure of
Jesus Christ performed by the niece of the artist – Helena Skirmunt.