Synkavichy Fortified Church

About this place

The Church of St Michael is an Orthodox church on the northern edge of the village of Synkavichy in Zelva District, Grodno Region, Belarus, about 11 km from Slonim in a straight line. It is an example of Belarusian Gothic and, with the church at Muravanka, one of the first fortified churches in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Recent research puts its construction in 1407, some researchers think it is older still, and legend says Grand Duke Vytautas built it. Its construction closely resembles a defensive building. By 1837 the church was in decay; it was rebuilt in 1880–1881 through the efforts of the local priest Efstafy Mikhailovsky, and restoration was finished by 1890. The red-brick church has four round towers at its corners, and its facade is crowned by a stepped gable decorated with rows of small niches and narrow windows. Tall trees that turn gold in autumn surround it, and it stands alone on a rise above the fields. Visitors admire the church from outside, walk around its towers and take photos from the field opposite. It is a working church, so respect service times and dress modestly. The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Belarus, so read the current advice before any planning.