Catholic church of Saint Joseph in Orša, Baroque Catholic church in Orša, Belarus.
The Church of Saint Joseph the Betrothed is a three-nave basilica in central Orša, built of stone between 1780 and 1808 in a mix of Baroque and Classicism. Its facade is divided into three parts by deep rectangular niches and topped by a two-tier rectangular attic with an oval oculus; the two towers were dismantled in 1870. The interior once held portraits of founder Hieronim Drucki-Sakalinski and his wife.
Prince Hieronim Drucki-Sakalinski brought the Dominicans to Orsha and founded a wooden church for them in 1649, endowing the monastery with the Voskava estate. The present stone church replaced it between 1780 and 1808. The monastery ran until 1845 with a 10-bed hospital; its buildings are gone. Closed in 1937 and turned into a Builders' House of Culture, the church was returned to Catholics in 1989 and re-consecrated after restoration.
The church is named after Saint Joseph the Betrothed, and its Belarusian name is Kasciol Sviatoha Juzafa Abruchnika. It was founded in 1649 by Prince Hieranim Drutski-Sakalinski, who invited Dominican monks to Orsha and donated the Voskava estate to their monastery. Portraits of the founder and his wife once hung inside the church.
The church is located in the central part of Orša and is easily accessible on foot. Visitors should know that this is an active parish church so it is important to be respectful during services.
The two facade towers were dismantled in 1870, and the triangular pediment above the two-tier attic has also not survived. Inside, the church once held portraits of Hieronim Drucki-Sokoliński, the prince who founded the monastery in 1649, and of his wife.
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