Franciscan Monastery and Church of the Holy Trinity
The Franciscan monastery and the Church of the Holy Trinity at one time constituted a Roman Catholic spiritual complex in the town of Sianno.
In 1609, the owner of Sianno, Jaŭstach Kurč, erected a wooden church for the Franciscan order, named after Francis of Assisi, the founder of the order. The architect of the building was Johann Wilhelm Fraser.
In 1772, after the first division of the Commonwealth, with the help of Tadevuš Ahinski and his wife Jadviha, the wooden building of the church was replaced with a stone one and consecrated in honor of the Holy Trinity. In the same year, the relics of St. Fortunatus were transferred here from Rome. Permission for this was obtained from Pope Clement XIV.
In 1809, on the western side of the church, a new living quarters of the monastery was built. The monastery at that time was the center of culture, had a rich library, and the first school in Sianno was opened under it.
After the uprising of 1863–1864, the Franciscan monastery was closed by the Russian government, and the church was transferred to the diocesan clergy as part of the Mahilioŭ Roman Catholic Archdiocese.
After the October Revolution of 1917, the monastery was used as a barracks for the Cheka. After that, for some time it was the Peasant's House, and later — the military commissariat. During the Second World War, the monastery building was partially destroyed. In the post-war years, it was used as a warehouse, at the present time it is used as a sausage manufactory. The former Franciscan monastery is the only ancient building on the market square of the town.
The Holy Trinity Church operated until 1937. The building was badly damaged during the Second World War and was later used as a warehouse. On September 17, 1962 the church was destroyed.
The restoration of the parish took place only at the beginning of the 21st century in independent Belarus. On March 28, 2001, the Holy Trinity Parish was officially registered in Sianno.
Publication date: 15.02.2022.
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