Church of the Ascension - Centuries-Old Architecture Gained a New Life

Hello everybody! I like to watch churches of wooden architecture and stone churches. I very rarely see combinations of architecture from different materials. Being in the village of Molodovo, I came across an interesting architectural phenomenon. Two churches of different eras are located ten meters from each other. Temple Three times it was transferred from place to place Most often, one place of worship is replaced by another, but not this time. Instead of destroying the ancient wooden church, the architects and authorities decided to keep it. It is not surprising, because the wooden church originates at the beginning of the 16th century, and only later, in 1583, it was transferred to the village of Molodovo. Now the Wooden Ascension Church in the center of the village is a monument of folk architecture. Just look at the old church and the new church - they are similar in their structures.

But let's first focus on the ancient architecture of the 16th century. In addition to the centuries-old history, this temple housed the oldest bell in Belarus, which was subsequently transferred to a new stone church. This bell was cast in 1583 in Lithuanian Kaunas and donated to the church parish. Initially, the Church of the Ascension of the Lord was Uniate and had a different look, but in the middle of the 19th century it was already rebuilt.

View of the temple from a painting by Napoleon Orda Photo source

Ancient Bell Photo source

As you can see, the current state of the church leaves much to be desired. But now it's time to look at the new church. By the way, during the Second World War, the invaders wanted to take the valuable relic to Germany, but the locals saved it by burying it in the ground. Throughout the existence of the building, it was repeatedly restored and rebuilt. In 1969, the Soviet authorities closed the temple. Only in the 1990s was the last restoration, the result of which we can see today. The church has a traditional three-part structure. The rectangular structure of the building features a five-sided altar apse, a hipped roof and onion domes.

But now it's time to take a look at the new Ascension Temple. In the 1990s it was impossible to conduct church services because of the dilapidation of the old building. It was decided to build a new temple of stone. The president of Belarus played a direct role in the construction of a new place of worship. The first ringing of the bell sounded on May 8, 2012.

Unfortunately, during my visit, the doors were locked and I could not enter the temple grounds. But thanks to the sunny weather, I was able to capture some amazing shots of the exterior.

Apparently the doors of the temple open only on church holidays or certain days. Judging by the stories and videos from YouTube, the new Ascension Church has an atypical and interesting illumination of the facade. It looks spectacular at night. As I mentioned earlier, the new church is similar in structure to the old one. Two domes also dominate here - one of which is located on the tower, and the second in the prayer hall.

Despite the fact that I could not get inside both temples of the Ascension of the Lord, I was able to see their greatness. I was glad that the weather was blessed and allowed me to visually familiarize myself with the historical places of worship. This is a stunning example of the fact that temples are not only destroyed, but also receive a second life. Molotovo is the place of the Skirmunts that I told you about earlier. Hope you enjoyed...

Photo information:
Author: @danny.green
Camera: Nikon D5200
Location: Village Molodovo, Belarus

Thanks to everyone who reads and supports. Best regards from @danny.green.