Church of St. John the Baptist

The Roman Catholic Church of John the Baptist is located in the heart of the White Church. According to ancient traditions it was in its place that the white church towered, from which the name of the city came to be. The church was erected on the Castle Hill in 1813 with funds allocated by Count Ksaveri Branicki.

Later the church became a family burial vault of the noble family Branicki.

The building is a vivid example of classical Catholic architecture and is executed in the form of a Latin cross, located on a straight axis, in the direction of east-west. The eastern part of this cross has a semicircular apse, and in its western part there are towers. An antique clock with bells is mounted on one of these towers, and the other is crowned with six bells. The church is a two-tier structure, whose height is 27 meters, width - about 25, and length - 35 meters.

Particularly impressive is the interior decoration of the church. Its walls are decorated with sculpture, made in the form of complex ornaments and openwork rosettes. Until now, information has been preserved that the cost of such modeling, made by Italian masters, was much higher than the cost of the temple itself. The ancient walls of the church have been preserved painting works belonging to the brush of an unknown master. One of their walls is decorated with a marble stela of white color, installed in honor of Ekaterina Branitskaya-Sangushko. The floor is covered with colorful plates made of the finest marble.

During the Soviet era, the church was closed to parishioners, temporary worship services were resumed during the Nazi occupation, but after the war it was closed again. In the post-war decades, the lecture hall was equipped in the church building, and then the warehouse.

In 1964, the Roman Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist was restored. Today, the house of organ and chamber music is located in the walls of the church. There are organized a variety of concerts of classical music, attracting performers and spectators from around the world.