This is one of the few cult facilities in Belarus that has never ceased operation: it held regular services both at the times of war and the days of the Soviet government’s militant atheism.

 

Initially, the structure of the cathedral was neatly symmetrical. It was a three-apside structure with the vaulted naves resting of four pillars. In the middle of the 17th century a fire broke out in one of the vaults, which severely damaged the naves. The pillars were dissembled and replaced with wooden ones. They started rebuilding the cathedral in 1739 to add a large chapel to a side wall of the building in 1778.

 

The cathedral owes its citadel look to two powerful 16-metre towers with several rows of embrasures, and Swedish cannon balls embedded into the three-metre walls. The cannon balls, the cathedral, and the large stone cross near its walls have very good chances of getting onto the UNESCO World Heritage List.

 

People say the cathedral and the old cemetery are connected by an underground passage, which partially or fully survived. There is no documentary proof of the fact as they never actually performed any search operations there.

 

Rough as a citadel on the outside, the cathedral amazes people by its interior: stone staircases, frescos and sculptures, medallions with monograms and symbols. There are four delicate carved gilded apses in the cathedral, with a 17th century icon picturing Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus on the central one.

 

The cathedral is complete with an organ. Installed in 1739, it has recently been restored.

 

There is a large stone cross near the cathedral. As the legend goes, the cross had long been there before they started erecting the cathedral 400 years ago.

 

The Latin inscriptions on the cross have never been deciphered.