Church and Dominican Monastery in Choroszcz

The Dominican church and monastery in Choroszcz is a historic site with roots dating back to the 17th century. In 1654, Mikołaj Stefan Pac, the voivode of Trakai, brought nuns to the town. A monastery with 12 cells was built to oversee the local Sanctuary of the Mother of God. Annual indulgences on the feast of St. Dominic attracted large numbers of the faithful, which led to the establishment of yearly fairs that continued until 1832, when the monastery was closed by Tsarist authorities as part of repressions following the November Uprising. The present late Baroque church was constructed between 1753 and 1756, funded by Jan Klemens Branicki and designed by Jan Henryk Klemm. The brick building features a single-nave structure with a barrel vault, while the sacristy and the western porch have cross vaults. The interior is adorned with Rococo elements, and a square tower stands beside the church. In 1938, the church was damaged by fire, and further destruction occurred during the war between 1941 and 1944. It was rebuilt after 1945. The complex also includes a monastery from 1763, a charnel house, and a perimeter wall from the same period. Also noteworthy is an 18th-century chapel adjacent to the church, as well as a monument to John Paul II, symbolizing the spiritual and cultural connections of this place. The Dominican church and monastery in Choroszcz thus represent an important part of the region’s heritage, intertwining religious, historical, and architectural significance.