Catholic Church of St. Theresa of Avila is an architectural monument in the classical style. It is included in the list of historical and cultural values of the Republic of Belarus.

The Catholic parish was established in Ščučyn in 1436. A collegium of Piarists (order school) existed in Ščučyn from 1718 to 1832. In 1718, a monastery of the Piarists order was founded in Ščučyn. In the same 1718, a Piarists collegium was opened, which operated until 1823.

The modern building of the Catholic Church of St. Theresa was founded at the Piarists collegium in 1826–1829 at the expense of duke Francišak Ksavieryj Drucki-Liubiecki.

After the uprising of 1830–1831, most of the Catholic monasteries in Belarus were closed by the Russian authorities. The same happened to the Piarists monastery in Ščučyn, and the Catholic Church of St. Theresa began to play the role of the parish Catholic temple.

This Catholic church operated when Western Belarus was part of Poland and even in the post-war period, already under Soviet authority. It was closed in 1954 during the anti-religious campaign of Soviet power.

Only in 1988, the temple was returned to the Catholic Church. In 1989, the Catholic Church of St. Theresa was restored.

Catholic Church of St. Theresa is an architectural monument of Classicism. It has a cross-domed volumetric-spatial composition elongated on the longitudinal axis.

Publication date: 09.07.2020.

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