Neogothic wonder of Polesia brought back to life: Restored Ozheshko Chapel opens in Zakozele
This architectural monument, which was on the verge of complete destruction, has risen again in its luxurious Neo-Gothic attire.
Grand opening of the Ozheshko burial chapel. Photo: Dragichyn.by
The grand opening ceremony, held on January 22, gathered high-ranking guests, including Chairman of the Brest Regional Executive Committee Pyotr Parkhomchyk and Deputy Minister of Culture Sergei Sorokach. However, the main hero of the celebration was the building itself — one of the oldest and most elegant preserved examples of Neo-Gothic architecture in Belarus, which has finally regained its historical appearance.
From Luxury to Desolation
The chapel in Zakozele was built in 1849 according to the design of the outstanding architect Franciszek Jaszczołd, who also designed the Puslowski Palace in Kosava. The patron, nobleman Mikadim Ozheshko, wanted to create a magnificent pantheon for his family. The building turned out to be unique: it combined features of medieval Gothic with advanced 19th-century technologies, particularly the use of artistic cast iron.
Chapel in a drawing by Napoleon Orda. 1850. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The chapel's history is closely intertwined with the fate of the Ozheshko family and the events of the 1863-1864 uprising. According to legend, it was here, under the high spire, that one of the uprising's leaders, Romuald Traugutt, hid, aided by the famous writer Eliza Ozheshko. After the suppression of the uprising, the Russian authorities closed the chapel.
For over a century, it slowly fell into disrepair: first, the valuable interiors disappeared, during World War I, the Germans removed the copper roof, and in the post-war Soviet years, the monument turned into a romantic but dangerous ruin with large holes in the vaults and broken stained-glass windows.
Ozheshko burial chapel in Zakozele before restoration began. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
By the start of the work in 2019, the vaults were in an emergency state, and it was frightening to enter inside.
The Return of Stone Lace
The path to revival was long and difficult. The first serious steps were taken in 2008 when archaeologists conducted excavations in the crypt, finding the remains of family members and unique artifacts, including fragments of a Slutsk sash.
Ozheshko burial chapel in scaffolding. The restoration of the Neo-Gothic monument took almost seven years.
But true salvation began in 2019 when the emergency condition of the building threatened the collapse of its vaults. The cost of the restoration project amounted to almost 4 million rubles.
Ribbed vaults of the Ozheshko burial chapel before restoration.
Restored Gothic ribbed vaults of the Ozheshko burial chapel. Photo: Zarya Telegram channel
The process of bringing the chapel back to life was a real challenge for engineers and builders. Before addressing aesthetics, the walls had to be saved. Over decades of neglect, the masonry had become so saturated with moisture and salts that ordinary plaster would simply fall off. Builders had to dry the walls for a long time with heat guns and use special sanitizing plaster that literally draws salt out of the bricks.
Restored stained-glass windows. Photo: BelTA
Specialists from the "Brestrestavratsiya" branch and invited craftsmen carried out meticulous work — they literally had to piece together what was lost. For example, the color of the glass for the stained-glass windows was chosen by studying microscopic fragments of authentic glass found in the ground. The copper roof was restored in exact accordance with historical technologies, and a six-meter spire with a cross returned to the top. Missing elements of cast iron window frames were cast not in a capital workshop, but at the local Dragichyn Tractor Repair Plant.
Cast iron decorative elements on the facades of the Ozheshko burial chapel. On the right, a rosette with the family crest — "Novina". Photo: Kultura
The most difficult task was the restoration of the unique stucco decor of the interior — those famous ribs that create the effect of an openwork cobweb under the ceiling. Sculptors and artists, including the renowned master Pavel Ryabov, worked for years in challenging conditions to restore the gypsum elements to their original appearance.
Restoration of ribs on the vaults. Photo: BelTA
The low-hanging keystone of the vault, in the form of an elaborate plant, was most commonly used in late Gothic architecture and is literally called a "hanging cone" (German: Hängezapfen). Photo: SB. Belarus Segodnya
The consoles, on which the ribs visually rest, echo the "hanging cone" motif. Photo: BelTA
Boss in the shape of a flower — a decorative rosette located in Gothic architecture at the intersection of ribs. Photo: Zarya.by
For the interior decoration, the masters used gypsum, but for the facades, for the decoration of gables and corner pinnacles with crockets (turrets with pointed tops), which suffer from rain and snow, the decor was cast from modern fiber-reinforced concrete — an ultra-durable material that is outwardly indistinguishable from the original. To achieve complete authenticity, some elements were impregnated with hot drying oil (olifa), as masters of the 19th century did.
Stucco decor of the corner pinnacles. Photo: Zarya.by
New oak doors with rosettes, wrought-iron hinges, and a transom glazed with colored stained glass in a cast iron frame. Photo: kaplicaozheshko
The restorers restored not only the ribs but also the Gothic crockets (decorative elements resembling curled leaves), cross-flowers, and trefoils. In total, only about 40% of the original stucco work was preserved; the rest had to be reconstructed from drawings and analogies, sometimes literally molding shapes from plasticine before casting.
Gothic Gem on the Tourist Route
Exposition inside the chapel. Photo: BelTA
Items from excavations in the chapel, presented in the exhibition. Photo: BelTA
Fragment of a Slutsk sash from the chapel excavations, presented in the exhibition. Photo: BelTA
Today, the chapel in Zakozele is no longer a ruin but a promising tourist attraction. Inside, a "cold museum" space has been organized — without artificial heating, so as not to harm the unique microclimate. Visitors will be able to see the restored interiors and an exhibition of artifacts found during excavations: fragments of a Slutsk sash, details of burial decor, and sculptures.
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