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Church of St. Michael the Archangel, Synkavichy

Church of St. Michael the Archangel, Synkavichy

Photo: Lusssiya · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Location
Synkavichy, Belarus
Client / Owner
—
Year
Completed 1407
Access
Public
Typology
Spiritual
Style
Gothic

The Church of St. Michael in Synkavichy is a fortified church on the northern edge of the village, in the Zelva District of Belarus. Recent research dates its consecration to 1407, though graffiti from the 1320s suggests an earlier construction. Some sources credit its founding to Konstanty Ostrogski, while legend credits Grand Duke Vytautas.

It is built of brick in the Belarusian Gothic style and is one of the first fortified churches in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The plan is nearly square, with three naves supported by four pillars and three apses on the east side. The walls are about 5 feet (1.5 meters) thick, and four corner towers carry arrowslits.

The church was rebuilt as a Catholic church in 1926 and returned to Orthodox use between 1988 and 1990. It is an active parish church and has been on UNESCO's Tentative List since 2004.

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