Very kind and helpful people serve there, and I am very grateful for their moral support and warmth. The temple is stunningly beautiful and the atmosphere is blissful.

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Вера Белых (Косик)

Level 9 Local Expert

Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The city is Deep. Belarus. 🍂⛪🍂✝🍂⛪🍂 The cathedral is located in the building of the former Carmelite church, which was erected in 1639-1654 at the expense of Governor Joseph Korsak. Originally, the church was part of the Carmelite monastery. The temple, towering in the style of the Vilna Baroque, was striking in its grandeur, In 1812, Emperor Napoleon stayed here when he was on his way to Moscow. He lived in the abbot's chambers for 10 days. And one day he called the abbot and said: "What are your possessions?" – "1,000 huts." "That's a lot, but what do you do?" "And we pray." "That's very little, the emperor said." The abbot remained diplomatically silent. When Napoleon was already leaving, he decided to thank the abbot for his hospitality and ordered to give him some gold coins. "This is too much for an ordinary guest," said the abbot, "but for the great emperor..." He paused. Napoleon understood everything and ordered to pour a whole tray of gold coins. In 1735, the church was rebuilt according to the project of the famous architect Jan Christopher Glaubitz and became the first example of the architecture of the "Vilna" Baroque in Belarus. In 1865, after the expulsion of the Carmelites, the monastery was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Chamber of State Property. In 1875, after a small reconstruction, the church was re-consecrated into the Orthodox Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1895, a large wooden dome was erected over the middle of the temple, which burned down in 1944 and was never restored. In 1970, Archbishop Anthony of Minsk and Belarus held the first divine service in the church. The main shrine of the modern temple is the healing icon of the Mother of God "Worthily eat", which was delivered to the city in 911 from Mount Athos. Inside the icon there are particles of the holy relics of the saints of God and pieces of cotton wool consecrated on the Holy Sepulchre. The cathedral is also interesting for its dungeons. In 1831, the Carmelite monks supported the uprising that broke out at that time, so the dungeon became a place to store an arsenal of weapons, treat the wounded and shelter for the rebels. For several centuries, its cellars served as an underground tomb for monks, and the remains of Joseph Korsak also rested here. Even nowadays, the remains of wealthy citizens buried in ancient times who were able to buy land under the temple for their burial rest in the dungeon. During the Second World War, the dungeons served as a prison for prisoners of the "Rodionov Russian Liberation Army", which fought on the side of the enemy. After the war, a cannery warehouse was located in the dungeons, while the temple itself continued to function. There is an observation deck on the bell tower of the cathedral, located at a height of 34 meters. A stone spiral staircase leads to the middle of the bell tower, and then a wooden one. The bell tower offers beautiful views of the city.

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Алексей Исаченко

Level 8 Local Expert

Yuri Petrovich conducts the tour very interestingly. A beautiful cathedral both inside and out. You can go down into a real dungeon and climb the bell tower.

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Sobor Rozhdestva Presvyatoy Bogoroditsy Polotskoy Yeparkhii

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