The ruins of the former Jesuit church — the oldest building in Babruysk — have been transferred into the private ownership of HМC Group, a company linked to Aliaksandr Zaitsau, who is described as Lukashenka’s “wallet.” The businessman, who converted to Catholicism, generously donates to the construction of churches in Belarus. In December 2022, he became the first person in the country’s history to receive the papal Order of St. Gregory the Great.
According to a new response from the Ministry of Culture, received by subscribers of the Spadchyna Telegram channel regarding the fate of the city’s oldest building, on Sept. 30, 2025, the architectural monument (officially listed under the name “Guardhouse”) was transferred free of charge from municipal to private ownership — to HМC Group LLC.
Under the terms of the agreement, the new owner is required to carry out repair and restoration work within three years, that is, by Sept. 30, 2028. In the event of a missed deadline, it will have to pay a penalty to the city.
It is also reported that in March 2026, the Ministry of Culture had already issued the company a permit to carry out research and design work for the reconstruction of the site with a change in its purpose.
The church was built in 1745-1747 in the Baroque style according to a design by Vilnius architect Tomasz Żebrowski and is a designated historical and cultural heritage site. Under the Russian Empire, an arms warehouse was established in the building, while during the Soviet period it housed a military prison (guardhouse). After the prison was closed in the early 2000s, the church stood empty.
Fires broke out in the building in 2011 and 2012, severely damaging the monument. In spring 2025, a wall of the northern sacristy collapsed.
