Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Grodno

Because of its founder, it was commonly referred to as Vytautas' Church (Belarusian: Фара Вітаўта; Lithuanian: Vytauto bažnyčia; Polish: fara witoldowa).

The exact date of its consecration remains unknown, it was first mentioned in a royal privilege for the local Jewish community issued in 1389.

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.

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.

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.

Local priest Józef Chrebtowicz hired a renowned German architect Johann Mezer to supervise the works.

King Stanisław August Poniatowski dispatched his court architect Giuseppe de Sacco to prepare a project of reconstruction.

[1] After World War II the town was permanently annexed by the Soviet Union and the communist authorities turned the church into a warehouse.