Rudaminos Švč. Trejybės bažnyčios statyba XVIII a. ir naujas vardas LDK architektūros istorijoje
Construction of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Rudamina in the 18th century and a new name in the history of architecture of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Summary/Abstract: The confirmation of an agreement for church construction found in the books of the castle court of the Grodno powiat held at the National Historical Archives of the Republic of Belarus is valuable in several respects: it confirms the authorship, introduces a new name in the history of architecture, explains the circumstances of church construction, and provides information about the organisation and development of the construction process and the payments.The owner of the Rudamina manor and chamberlain of Grodno Grzegorz Massalski became the first endower of the Rudamina church (today, Lazdijai district) in 1592. His children inherited the manor after his death, and after the death of the last childless heir, the manor changed hands until it was acquired by the treasurer of the Trakai voivodeship Mikołaj Turczynowicz Suszycki (1727–1755) circa 1740–1745. The new owner of the Rudamina manor began the construction of a new church, as the old one was almost totally deteriorated. At the end of 1749 he made an agreement with an architect Wojciech Józef Krukowski for the construction of a new brick church. According to the agreement, the architect was obliged to build a new church in Rudamina for 19,000 golden coins after his own design and led by his team of builders in five years. The agreement was confirmed at the chancellery of the castle court of the Grodno powiat on 20October 1755. Financial difficulties and a sudden death of Turczynowicz Suszycki in the spring of 1755 disrupted the construction works. Although the executors of his will obliged themselves to finish the church construction, they encountered financial obstacles. The architect Krukowski abandoned the work. In the winter of 1757 a new architect was sought to prepare the drafts of the church façade and towers. It is not known when the construction of the church was finally finished; most probably it was not until the last quarter of the 18th century. The facts show that ultimately the project was not implemented in the way it had been designed in Krukowski’s original project and underwent some changes. In the early 20th century the church was reconstructed, and its volume and plan were modified. During the reconstruction a transept and a presbytery were added, at their intersection point a small belfry was built on the roof, new chapels were erected, and other minor transformations were introduced.The above-mentioned agreement and other relevant sources have provided new information about the history of construction of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Rudamina. Archival documents have revealed who took part in the process of commissioning the works and construction and what transformations the project underwent in the context of personality and historical changes.

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