Holy Trinity altar was unveiled to the public in St. Xavier Cathedral after restoration

Another part of Belarus’ oldest altar which history dates back more than three centuries has been restored in St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, the most famous architectural and religious sight of Grodno.

The unique altar, made entirely from wood, was damaged by fire in July 2006. The fire destroyed about 20 square meters of the altar including the famous Apostles Thomas and Jacob and altar patron Samuel Lozowy. Since then the Grodno cathedral has been undergoing restoration, thanks to which the historic relic is getting back its original looks.

The Holy Trinity altar was unveiled to the public during a solemn mass on 22 November. It was the third alter that has been restored in the cathedral (following the main altar and the altar of St. Michael the Archangel). The best specialists-carpenters from Belarus and Poland worked on it. The altar was fully disassembled: the parts damaged by insects and time were replaced by new ones which were the exact replicas of the old ones. The restorers used the wood species that the original altar was made from. After removing several layers of gray paint the specialists found out that the altar was originally gilded and decided to give back this radiant color to the relic.

The altar now features Apostles Peter and Paul, Saints John the Evangelist, Isidora, Dominic... The altar was consecrated by Bishop of the Grodno Catholic Diocese Aleksander Kaszkiewicz during the solemn mass.