In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1389–1795) 14th and 15th centuries The exact date of its consecration remains unknown, it was first mentioned in a royal privilege for the local Jewish community issued in 1389. The original church was a wooden structure, one of several dozens of such churches founded throughout Lithuania by
newly-Christianised rulers of the state. As such, the church was to spread Catholic faith in a predominantly-Orthodox city. In 1494, Grand Duke of Lithuania (and later King of Poland)
Alexander Jagiellon demolished the old wooden structure and erected a new church on its place. Its Gothic features continued to be visible despite numerous reconstructions carried out later.
16th century The first one of numerous reconstructions took place in 1551, when
Bona Sforza, Queen Consort of Poland, financed the
Renaissance reconstruction of the interior. The church became a
de facto royal chapel in 1584, when king
Stephen Báthory moved his seat to the
Grodno castle and spent his last years there. It was him to completely demolish the wooden structure and build a new church there, this time brick-made. The works, carried over by the
Jesuits, were completed in 1587. The project is attributed to
Ioseph Roiten, though the attribution is not certain, while the master supervising the construction works was
Antoni de Greta. It was in this church that Báthory's body was first interred for several months before it was moved to the
Wawel Cathedral in
Kraków.
17th century During
The Deluge, between 1655 and 1661, the city was occupied by
Muscovy and the church was badly damaged. Burnt from the inside, it was partially demolished. Local bishop of Grodno
Aleksander Chodkiewicz financed the reconstruction and by 1674 the church regained its former look.
18th century However, in the 18th century the church was again destroyed during the
Great Northern War. The king of Poland financed the reconstruction, but it is not clear whether the works were finished when in 1753 a fire struck the city and the church was yet again badly damaged. It took 5 years to rebuild it. Local priest
Józef Chrebtowicz hired a renowned German architect
Johann Mezer to supervise the works. The church was once again consecrated on April 18, 1758. Another fire struck the city in 1782 – and again the church was badly damaged. King
Stanisław August Poniatowski dispatched his court architect
Giuseppe de Sacco to prepare a project of reconstruction. However, lack of funds and constant wars meant that the works went slow and in 1793 the church was described as a ruin.
In the Russian Empire (1795–1915) Following the
Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Grodno became part of the
Russian Empire. In 1804, the Tsar
Alexander I of Russia confiscated the church and gave it to
Eastern Orthodox Church. The interior was redesigned to suit their needs and in 1810 the church was renamed to Saint Sophia's church. The façade and the tower were rebuilt in
neo-classicist style in 1870. In 1892, however, it was burnt down again and was rebuilt. In the late 19th-century, the church was completely refurbished and rebuilt in a new,
pseudo-Russian style, with the project prepared by a renowned Russian architect
Nikolai Chagin around 1870.
20th century After Poland regained independence in 1918, the church was returned to the Catholic Church and once again became the city's principal Catholic church. Between 1919 and 1923 the church was repaired from the damages it suffered during
World War I and the
Polish–Soviet War. Soon afterwards a new reconstruction was started, this time in accordance with a
Gothic revival project prepared by
Oskar Sosnowski. The works continued until 1935. The shrine became a garrison church, serving both the city's inhabitants and the local units of the
Polish Army. Following the
Invasion of Poland of 1939, the city was occupied by the
Soviet Union and the church was nationalised and closed for the public. During the German occupation of the city it was briefly restored to Catholics. At the time, the church was allocated to Grodno's Lithuanians and Lithuanian religious services were held in it throughout the war. After
World War II the town was permanently annexed by the Soviet Union and the communist authorities turned the church into a
warehouse. Finally on November 29, 1961 it was blown up. ==References==