Religious, Spiritual sights in Belarus
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Orthodox Churches
While Vitsebsk does not have many churches of note, there is a pair of very different Orthodox churches on the eastern bank of the Dvina, near the main bridge on vul Zamkovaja. These are reconstructions built in 1998 of 10th- (wooden) and 13th-century (white stone) styles. Both hold regular services; the atmospheric wooden church is especially worth visiting.
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A
Bernadine Church & Seminary
The 16th-century Catholic Bernadine Church & Seminary was built predominantly in the Renaissance style, and the bell tower was redone with a defiant baroque flair 250 years later, and again after WWII. It stands atop a hill opposite the bizarre, spiderlike Drama Theatre, looking much like a spacecraft about to lift off.
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B
Church of Sts Simon & Elena
Breaking the theme of Soviet classicism that dominates ploshcha Svabody is the red-brick catholic Church of Sts Simon & Elena, built in 1910. Its tall, gabled bell tower and attractive detailing are reminiscent of many brick churches in the former Teutonic north of Poland.
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C
Sts Peter & Paul Church
Across the vulitsa Lenina overpass is the attractively restored 17th-century Sts Peter & Paul Church, the city's oldest church (built in 1613, looted by Cossacks in 1707 and restored in 1871). Now it is awkwardly dwarfed by the surrounding morose concrete structures.
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Church of St Aleksandr Nevsky
Church of St Aleksandr Nevsky. Built in 1898, it was closed by the Bolsheviks, opened by the Nazis, closed by the Soviets and now it's open again. It's said that during WWII, a bomb crashed through the roof and landed plum in front of the altar, but never detonated.
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D
Holy Spirit Cathedral
The baroque, twin-towered orthodox Holy Spirit Cathedral, built in 1642, stands confidently on a small hill. It was once part of a Polish Bernardine convent, along with the former Bernardine Church next door, which now houses city archives.
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E
Pobrigitski Monastery
About 400m west of the bus station is the Pobrigitski Monastery, built in 1651, which has some lovely ornaments on its façade, as well as some 18th-century wooden buildings inside the complex.
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F
Pokrovsky Cathedral
Near the train station is the attractive 1904-05 Pokrovsky Cathedral, a candy-striped house with blue-and-gold domes.
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G
Synagogue
Along vul Vjalikaja Traetskaja is a dilapidated 19th-century synagogue, the largest still standing in Belarus.
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