If you drive 38 kilometers to South-East from Grodno, you will find yourself in a small village called Lunno. Today here live more than a thousand people, but the villagers have something to show to guests. Here stands the Catholic Church of St. Anne built in 1782, the estate of the Krivitsky family that has preserved the architecture and the atmosphere of the 19^th century, a Jewish cemetery (all Jews were killed by the Germans during the World War II, previously a wooden synagogue had operated in the village). But we will tell you about another attraction of Lunno – the Orthodox Church of St. John the Baptist.  

The Central Square. The very heart of Lunno. 1889

This date is associated with the foundation of the Orthodox Parish in the village. At that moment, Lunno had an operating Catholic church. But it was decided to build a church and consecrate it in honor of John the Baptist. Usually churches were built by magnates or members of the nobility in those days, donations often were collected for a construction, but this time the government allocated the money.  

The temple was built of stone, a stone belfry and fence with an arched gate surrounding the whole territory of the church appeared along with it in the village. The building of the Shrine looks like a tent and consists of two tiers, the second of which includes two constructions like towers – rectangular and hexagonal, the tops of which reach for the sky with low crosses.

In 2003, the Church of St. John the Baptist in Lunno received an unexpected for an Orthodox Church painting – the facade was painted in pink. However, today the building looks quite ordinary having traditionally snow-white walls and a light metal roof.

From the description of the Parish of the late 19^th century:

The church is located 40 versts from Grodno. There were “1327 male and 1134 female parishioners”. At that time, Orthodox believers from 17 surrounding villages gathered in the Church of St. John the Baptist in Lunno for a worship service. The village of Kukhary, located 8 versts from Lunno, was considered the most remote of them. At the same time, Lunno Church included the Church of St. Eustaphius in Radivonovichi, a brotherhood, a church patronage, church schools – a school in four surrounding villages, for 39 students in total, a folk school and an alms-house.

The clergy (composed of persons serving in the same church) consisted of only 2 people, the priest and the psalm-reader, each of whom received salary in the amount of 496 rubles. Lunno church had its own asset in the amount of 1400 rubles, a half of the interest from which, as the Muchinsky family bequeathed, went to benefit the clergy. The church had also its own lands: there were totally 32 dessiatines 309 sazhens, they were divided in the following way: only 1 dessiatine was left for a hayfield, 29 dessiatines were for a tillage, the remain part was for the estate.    

How to get

Tourists interested in resting in their native Belarus will easily find touristic routes, passing through Lunno. 259 kilometers is by car from Minsk to the village of Lunno. A road from MRHW leads through Volozhin, Lida, Shchuchin and Mosty.

If you are in Lunno, you should visit the Church of St. John the Baptist. The temple will attract your attention from afar and will amaze with its beauty and harmony.