Church of the Ascension of the Lord in Novoberezov

The Church of the Ascension of the Lord in Nowoberezowo is an Orthodox temple, built between 1873 and 1876, and is part of the parish of the same name within the Warsaw-Bielsk diocese. The history of the church dates back to the 16th century, when a Uniate parish was first established in the area. Following the Synod of Polotsk in 1839, the church became Orthodox. The original 17th-century temple was destroyed in a fire, which led to the construction of a new church dedicated to St. John the Theologian. An interesting fact is that during the Latinization of the Uniate Church, the temple lacked many traditional Byzantine liturgical items. However, the early 19th-century process of unifying rites and church furnishings in the region allowed for the restoration of certain elements, such as the altar table and the iconostasis. The conflict surrounding the parish's conversion to Orthodoxy in 1838 drew the attention of the Russian authorities. The new church, designed by engineer Łoziński, features a cross-shaped layout, built from cut stone and brick, with its interior adorned with frescoes from the 1930s. Despite a decline in the number of parishioners, the church remains an active place of worship, holding regular services only twice a year. In 2000, the building was added to the register of historical monuments, highlighting its historical and cultural significance to the region.