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Vitebsk region, Tolochin District, Tolochin, 31, Lenina street
The Orthodox Convent of the Patronage of the Mother of God, housed in the buildings of a Basilian monastery, is a late Baroque architectural monument. The complex includes the Patronage Church (1796), a two-story residential building (1779), gates, and a fence.
About the Church
The construction of the stone buildings of the Basilian monastery, which still stand to this day, commenced in 1769 and was funded by the Sanguszko family. The Uniate church, completed in 1796, was built on the foundations of the parish church founded in 1604 by Lew Sapieha. In 1779, the monastery building and school were erected. In 1804, the monastery was liquidated, and the church became Orthodox.
An interesting historical fact: in 1812, Napoleon stayed overnight in the monastery building. According to the memoirs of his aide-de-camp, Napoleon decided to destroy the archives and emblems of all corps of the French army precisely here, in the monastery building.
During the Soviet period, only the church belonged to the parish. The convent building was given to the military commissariat, only returned to the parish in 1996. In 2004, by decision of the Synod of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, the nunnery was revived.
Over the years, the convent has restored and decorated the Protection Church; on the monastery grounds, there were built the Chapel of Archangel Michael and the Chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker were built, a two-story residence for the presbyter and a baptistery with a font, and a spiritual enlightenment center. The convent of the Patronage of the Mother of God also plans to establish a hospital, a shelter for elderly and disabled individuals, within its nunnery.