Šemietava - is a village of Myadzyel district, Minsk region of Belarus. The main attraction of the village of Šemietava is the Catholic church of the Mother of God of Relentless Help. Originally, this temple was erected as a chapel in 1816, and was part of the estate complex located in the village of Šemietava. In 1902-03, this chapel was slightly refined and converted into a fully independent church from the manor (although, apparently, this temple was still very close to the estate and other buildings, of which below).
At the moment the church in the village of Šemietava is in excellent condition and is functioning. Both the interior and exterior of this small temple are perfectly preserved and maintained in the proper form. The fact that it is very beautifully situated on a small hill that towers over several artificial reservoirs (belonging to the local fish hatchery, which was founded in the 18th century and was also part of the manor complex) adds to the picturesque nature of the church in the village of Šemietava.
Near the church, on the same hill there is a preserved ancient wooden bell tower of the 19th century. And at the foot of the hill there is a brick plebania (the priest's house and the parish administration) built in 1904, and another remarkable wooden building of the mid-20th century. Thus, the church in the village of Šemietava is an interesting architectural monument and landmark of Belarus.
In addition to the church, as already mentioned, in the village of Šemietava there used to be a very rich and large manor complex. The composition of this estate complex previously included not only the manor house itself, but also a lot of large and small economic buildings, many of which were stone, as well as a large fishery. Most of the buildings that used to belong to the estate complex in the village of Šemietava were erected in the late 19th or early 20th centuries.
However, the manor house itself was erected much earlier, in the 18th century, and the first mention of this manor as an estate refers, and almost by the 15th century. Unfortunately, until now the manor house itself has not been preserved (from it there were only fragments of foundations that are in the closed territory of the hatchery, where the passage is forbidden to tourists). Thus, at the moment, from the manor complex in the village of Šemietava, there are preserved: a fish farm, which is fully functioning today as a hatchery; the church, which was once a manor chapel; the most picturesque ruins of three economic buildings: a distillery (once the largest and most picturesque building of the complex), a barn and a smithy.
It should be noted that the barn was not so long ago a barn building with completely preserved walls, pediments and even a roof. However, apparently because of the very emergency condition of this roof, in order to avoid accidents, the barn building in the beginning of 2010th was demolished almost to the ground. In any case, the ruins of the manor complex in the village of Šemietava and the church located right in the middle of them can be very interesting for many tourists and travelers in Belarus.
