Churches of Belarus (part XXXII): Orthodox church of the Raising of the Holy Cross, Vistychy 2012. Цэрквы Беларусі (частка ХХХІІ): царква Ўзвышэньня Сьвятога Крыжа, Вістычы 2012 год.
Father Anatol’ stands in front of his Orthodox parish church of the Raising of the Holy Cross. A splendid example of Baroque architecture (1678), the structure was built as a Roman Catholic (Cistercian) church but converted into an Orthodox church during the Russian imperial repressions after the failed anti-Russian uprising of 1863.
Father Anatol’ has taken an intense interest in restoring the church as authentically as possible. In this regard he is consulting closely with the leading preservation group in Belarus, the Belarusian Voluntary Association for the Preservation of Historical and Cultural Monuments (БДТАПГК) and its chairman Anton Astapovich. This is an exceptionally admirable approach on the part of Father Anatol’ at a time when a series of historic wooden Orthodox churches in Belarus has been disfigured by inappropriate and ahistorical Russification of domes or use of plastic siding.
