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Address:
- Vitebsk region, Dokshitsy District, Dokšycy, 39, Leninskaya street
The first known Orthodox church in Dokšycy, built from wood, dates back to 1514. In 1863, a stone building was erected in its place, but it was later demolished. In 1900, the construction of a completely new church began.
History
Standing in the heart of the city, the church, erected between 1900 and 1903, is a monument to the retrospective Russian style of architecture. Its walls, built of rubble and brick, create an impressive image of grandeur and steadfastness.
But it is not only architectural beauty that makes this church significant. Over the course of the Great Patriotic War (the Eastern Front of World War II), during the period of German occupation, the Church of the Intercession of Our Lady witnessed tragic events: a Nazi PW camp was located here, and a machine gun was placed on its bell tower. After the war, thanks to a fortunate coincidence of circumstances, the church was not destructed, and continued to serve its religious people, despite all the trials of time and history.
About the Church of the Intercession of Our Lady
The church composition impresses with its volume and spatial organisation, where the central place is taken by the bell tower with a tented roof. Its octagonal ‘baraban’, crowning the quadruple roof, is topped with a dome. In 2003 during the restoration works the decorative painting created in the beginning of the 20th century was restored.
Today, the Church of the Intercession of Our Lady in Dokšycy is not only a place of liturgy, but also a monument of architecture and cultural heritage, attracting the attention of many admirers of art and history.