1. About us
2. Excursions
3. Brest
4. Ruzhany - residence of the Sapegas, one one of the richest magnate clans in Belarus

Ruzhany - residence of the Sapegas, one one of the richest magnate clans in Belarus

Welcome to the town of Ruzhany!

Ruzhany is a small Belarusian town situated 140 kilometers from Brest.  In 1598 it was purchased by Lev Sapega, a brilliant military leader, an outstanding lawyer and Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He made the town his residence which was supposed to impress his contemporaries by remarkable architecture and prosperity. It was on his order and with his money that a Castle started to be constructed in 1617, later rebuilt by Saxon architect Yan Samuel Becker into a magnificient palace. It was also with the money of Lev Sapega that two more considerable buildings were constructed in the town in the 17^th century, that is, the Trinity Catholic Cathedral and  Peter and Paul Uniate Church. Subsequently both rebuilt by Yan Samuel Becker. It would be fair to say that Lev Sapega and the architect Samuel Becker were the ones who formed the architectural appearance of the town.

Read about Ruzhany:

Palace Complex in Ruzhany (reconstructed part)

Ruzhany signtseeing includes:

Palace complex

The main attraction of the town of Ruzhany can be easily viewed from every part of the town as it is situated on the so-called Palace mountain. Even not yet fully reconstructed it impresses by its scale and grandeur and reminds an ancient amphithetre in its shape. It was possible to enter its territory from the south side. The gate presented a real triumphal arch. On both sides, a high fence of powerful twin pilasters adjoined them in half rings in the opposite northern part of the courtyard, the fence ended at the walls of a cross-shaped three-storied building. It is known that the Sapegas kept the army. In one of the buildings of the Ruzhany palace complex a whole regiment was located. There was a parade ground in the courtyard, on which the military arranged shows. Lev Sapega, and then his descendants, were personally present at these private parades, which were supposed to give them aesthetic pleasure. The palace in Ruzhany played a significant role in the history not only of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Commonwealth, but also of neighboring states. It was visited twice by kings, ambassadors were received in it. At one time, the state treasury of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the arsenal were stored in the cellars of the palace. So far the Entrance gate and the side wings adjoining it have been restored, one of which now houses a museum. It is worth to see what the chambers looked like in the 18th century and what the palace would have been like if not for the wars and fires. When fully restored the Palace is going to be an architectural monument of the world significance.

Sovetskaya Street

From the Sapega Palace it is worth to walk along Sovetskaya Street towards the center. Almost along the entire length of the street there are wooden sculptures of historical figures. Basically, of course, of the Sapegas. And already in the center of the town, in a park with exotic plants, there is a whole composition of  modern wooden sculptures. They appeared in Ruzhany a few years ago after the open-air planair.

Trinity  Catholic Cathedral

• In 1596, the Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Lev Sapega, together with his wife Alexandra, allocated funds for the construction of a church in the centre of the town.  At first a wooden temple was built, and in 1615–1617 it was replaced by a stone one. But in the 1780s, an architect from Saxony, Jan Samuel Becker, reconstructed the temple in the classicist style. The cathedral is modest enough from the outside, but it impresses with its rich interior decoration. The church’s altar is distinguished by four columns, it is also adorned with stucco and the coat of arms of the Sapegas "A Fox", wooden sculptures of the apostles Peter and Paul stand on either side. There are other remarkable wooden sculptures made by the same sculptor. The cathedral has an old organ which can be heard during the service. It is said that the cathedral still holds a book of marriages, originating form 1635.

Peter and Paul Church 

Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church and the former monastery of Basilans were constructed in the 1770s; this is also Becker's work. He can be rightly regarded as the chief architect of Ruzhany. The church was built as a Uniate - after the Union of Brest of 1596, all Orthodox churched were to subordinate to the Pope of Rome, preserving their rites at the same time. That is why the temple architecture is not typical for the Russian tradition. You will be certainly attracted by the main icon hung with crosses and rings in gratitude. It is the Icon of Our lady of Ruzhany; people come to her from all around the area. In the 19th century, a huge fire occurred in Ruzhany, but the temple remained intact. People believe that it was this icon that saved the church. One more extraordinary thing about the church is a round icon not found in other Orthodox churches.

In addition, in Ruzhany you can see the building of the synagogue (end of the 18th century), the church of St. Casimir (1792), the building of Austeria (the second half of the 18th century).