An agro-town with a typical Belarusian name

The settlements with the name "Novoselki" are countless in Belarus. Only in Minsk region there are more than twenty of Novoselki! There are many of them on the territory of Russia as well. This is primarily due to the fact that when people moved to a new place, they didn’t want to puzzle over the name for their new home, this is how they called it - Novoselki, i.e. "A new settlement, a new village." For the same reason, there are so many settlements in Belarus with the names like Krasnoe, Rudnya, Porechye, etc.

 In this article we will talk about the agro-town of Novoselki, which is located in Kobrin district of Minsk region. Minsk area is one of the richest regions in architectural and cultural monuments, therefore it is not surprising that small Belarusian villages have their own gems, which few people know about so far.

The agro-town has been known since 1563, it belonged to S. Strakhorsky then. Novoselki is the centre of the village council of the same name. On the territory of the Novoselki village council there are slightly more than 1800 residents, of whom 669 live in Novoselki itself.

Novoselki is located 25 kilometers from the district centre – Kobrin, and 71 km from the regional center - Brest. The town occupies the picturesque western bank of the Trostyanitsa river. The town has a developed infrastructure: there is a post office, a secondary school, several shops, a district hospital, and a school for children.

The church, consecrated in honour of St. Michael the Archangel

Michael the Archangel is one of the most revered not only in the Christian tradition, but also in Judaism and Islam. In Orthodoxy, there is also another name for him - the Archistrategus, which denotes "the head of the holy army of angels and archangels". Michael the Archangel is considered to be a protector from any evil and a patron of warriors; in addition, he protects the souls of the dead and protects the sleeping; people pray to him for healing, and also at the entering and consecration of a new house. That is why Orthodox and Catholic churches all over the world are constantly consecrated in honour of such an influential saint, and the wooden church in Novoselki village is no exception.

The main attraction – the wooden St. Michael Church

The main village attraction is the church, built in 1881 and consecrated in honour of St. Michael the Archangel. Despite the fact, that this year, indicated on the security plate, which is mounted on the temple wall, is considered to be the official date of the construction, its appearance refers to earlier date of erection. It is unknown for sure, but there is an opinion, that the church was built in early XIX century, and perhaps even earlier. It was rebuilt in 1881 already, and in that state it has survived to our time. In any case, the beautiful blue building with white decor, erected of wood, can be seen when you arrive in the village of Novoselki.