Corpus Christi Church, Niasvizh, Belarus

Niasvizh Catholic Corpus Christi church was built in 1587–1593 according to the design of the Italian architect Giovanni Maria Bernardoni at sponsorship of Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł. The Jesuit church in Niasvizh was the first construction in Baroque in the whole territory of Rzecz Pospolita.

The temple interior is richly decorated with paintings. The frescoes were performed in 1750-1760s with participation of the artist Ksawery Dominik Heski (restored in 1900–1902). The frescoes embrace 40 individual compositions depicting Saints, allegorical scenes and biblical stories. The fresco compositions include cartouches with the Bible stanze and references. There is K.D. Gesski’s picture 'The Lord's Supper' (1753) in the main shrine. In addition to the paintings, the church interior contains a lot of plastic images, i.e. bás-reliefs and bust gravestones of the 17th – 19th centuries, marble altars and monuments.

There is a choir with an organ above the temple entrance. An entrance into the family crypt – a burial vault of the Radziwills – is located next to the bás-relief under the altar of Christ. There are over seventy burials of the mighty dynasty in the semi-basement.

References:

Niasvizh.by

Religious sites in Belarus

Address

Zamkavaja vulica, Niasvizh, Belarus

See all sites in Niasvizh

Details

Founded: 1587-1593
Category: Religious sites in Belarus

More Information

niasvizh.by

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Nesvizh Castle (0,6 km)
Nesvizh Town Hall (0,2 km)

Mir Castle (29,2 km)

User Reviews

Анна Рахманина (2 years ago)
Невероятно красиво и внутри, и снаружи. Раннее барокко. Внутри росписи чудесные, некоторые с 3D эффектом (таким, что реально обмануться можно). Само убранство тоже потрясающее. Много чего интересного, лучше идти со знающим человеком. Когда я посещала, во всю шла реконструкция, многое было недоступно, но даже это не испортило впечатление, а увиденного было достаточно, чтобы ахнуть от восторга. Потрясающе!!!

Александр (2 years ago)
Костей впечатляет своими размерами. В храме работает женщина служкой при храме которая не пускает туда посторонних туристов только с гидом

Ivan R. (3 years ago)
Ну, если честно, я бы не назвал этот 425летний иезуитский #костёл (#фарный означает католический приходской) таким уж красивым. Да, барокко, фрески в стиле Рембрандта, да, строил итальянец для литовского князя, но в целом, содрогания или восхищения не вызывает.... еще и #крипта Радзивиллов закрыта...

Svetlana Savitsky (3 years ago)
Я рада, что посетила крипту.Очень яркие впечатления. Нас бабулька встретила как родных и пожелала здоровья,долгих лет жизни. Рада была видеть семью с тремя детьми и подарила иконки.

Matthew McDonald (4 years ago)
Beautiful early Jesuit church and the oldest baroque structure outside Italy being constructed between 1587 and 1593. A small donation is required to see the crypt underneath that contains the coffins of the Lithuanian house of Radziwill. Taking photos inside is not permitted and there is a small gift shop at the entry.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Kurayba

Historic Site of the week

Beckov Castle

The Beckov castle stands on a steep 50 m tall rock in the village Beckov. The dominance of the rock and impression of invincibility it gaves, challenged our ancestors to make use of these assets. The result is a remarkable harmony between the natural setting and architecture.

The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.

The next owners, the Bánffys who adapted the Gothic castle to the Renaissance residence, improved its fortifications preventing the Turks from conquering it at the end of the 16th century. When Bánffys died out, the castle was owned by several noble families. It fell in decay after fire in 1729.

The history of the castle is the subject of different legends. One of them narrates the origin of the name of castle derived from that of jester Becko for whom the Duke Stibor had the castle built.

Another legend has it that the lord of the castle had his servant thrown down from the rock because he protected his child from the lords favourite dog. Before his death, the servant pronounced a curse saying that they would meet in a year and days time, and indeed precisely after that time the lord was bitten by a snake and fell down to the same abyss.

The well-conserved ruins of the castle, now the National Cultural Monument, are frequently visited by tourists, above all in July when the castle festival takes place. The former Ambro curia situated below the castle now shelters the exhibition of the local history.

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Corpus Christi Church