Photo of the Day for March 29, 2013: Good Friday / Вялікая пятніца Мукі Пана

To mark Good Friday.  З нагоды Вялікай пятніцы.

Churches of Belarus (part XXVII):  Church of St. Anne (1773-1781; restored 1995), Varoncha 2012.  Касьцёлы Беларусі (частка XXVII):  Касьцёл Сьвятой Ганны (1773-1781 гг; адбудаваны 1995 г.), Варонча 2012 год.

Noted Belarusian-Polish poet-ethnographer Jan Chachot was christened in this church in 1796.  Chachot was a friend of Adam Mickiewicz, considered by Poles the national poet of Poland; Mickiewicz was born about 12 kilometers from Varoncha.  Forefathers of the great 20th century Belarusian photographer Jan Bulhak are buried in the churchyard.

In 1943 Soviet partisans set fire to the estate in Varoncha, burning alive or shooting all but one member of the Ljubanski family, owners of the estate.  The same band of partisans torched the church.  In 2008 Belarusian documentary filmmaker Jury Hauruljou (Юры Гаўрулёў) made the film “Край сьветлых мрояў” (“Land of Luminous Dreams”) about this murder and arson.

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