A 9-ton stone has been erected in honor of Mosar's anniversary

Last Saturday, the village of Mosar in the Glubokoye district hosted celebrations dedicated to the 500th anniversary of the settlement. Deputies of the Regional Council of Deputies Yuri Moskalev, Olga Ginko, Chairman of the District Executive Committee Oleg Morkhat, and Bishop of the Vitebsk Diocese Oleg Butkevich came to congratulate the villagers. After the festive service in the local church, the participants of the celebration laid flowers at the grave of Father Josas Bulka. A jubilee alley was planted, and a requiem rally was held at the monument to fallen soldiers. The festive program continued with a concert, a disco, and a colorful fireworks display.

– This settlement is one of the oldest in our district, – says Viktor Karman, Chairman of the Udelovsky Village Council of Deputies. – For this significant date, a commemorative book "Mosar Celebrates Anniversary. Be Beautiful, Glorious, and Flourish!" was published. Based on archival documents, it contains detailed information about the history of the region and its people. Not far from the village, in the forest, there are burial mounds dating back to an earlier period. Therefore, we do not rule out the possibility that Mosar, which at one time was part of the possessions of the Zenoviches, Brazostovskys, Pilsudskys, and representatives of other noble families, is much older than we think.

The Mosar Palace, with its rich interior decoration, built by Robert Bžastowski at the end of the 18th century, has not survived to this day, while the old church, erected with his donations, remains the main attraction of the village. In the 1980s, Father Josas Bulka became the rector of the shrine, which houses the relics of Saint Justinian. Together with the parishioners, he renovated the church, improved the adjacent territory, and laid out a dendropark according to his own design, which was later nicknamed "Little Switzerland", "Belarusian Versailles". In 1990, on the initiative of the priest, the only copy in Belarus of Michelangelo's famous work "The Lamentation of Christ" was installed here, and a little later – the first monument in our country to Pope John Paul II, a five-meter sculpture of Christ.

– Father Josas was an amazing person, sociable, open, ready to hear everyone's requests and help if possible, – recalls Viktor Karman. – People came to him for advice, for spiritual guidance. He organized a sobriety zone, which exists to this day.

Josas Bulka constantly fought against alcoholism. In the belfry of the church, he created an anti-alcohol museum, which is planned to be moved to a new location soon. The clergyman conducted religious services only when there was no alcohol in the house. Josas Bulka devoted a lot of time to youth and children, including troubled teenagers. For them, sports and playgrounds were equipped near the church, ostriches, sheep, turkeys, and other birds and animals were housed in enclosures, and an artificial lake with two islands connected by a "lovers' bridge" was created.

The work of the priest-prelate was recognized with a letter of gratitude from the Committee for Religious and National Affairs of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus, an Honorary Diploma from the Ministry of Sports and Tourism. For his contribution to the development of spirituality, Pope John Paul II, during his lifetime, awarded him the title of canon. Also, in 2004, Father Josas was awarded the presidential prize

"For Spiritual Revival", and received other high awards.

– Once, after a service, he addressed the parishioners with a proposal to create a museum at the church. He asked them to bring old items that were previously in use, – says Marina Tkachenok, a guide at the Mosar branch of the Glubokoye Historical and Ethnographic Museum. – In a short time, people gathered a unique collection. For example, we have an ancient church calendar made in the form of a clock face, a spinning wheel, hand-woven items, a handmade mirror that is at least 200 years old, a bast shoe, and a leather boot on a wooden base, wearing which in the post-war period was considered a great luxury.

Parishioners also brought a press for making homemade cheese, a honey extractor, an antique curling iron with a wooden handle, and many other unique items that were once common objects of peasant life. There is also an 18th-century musical billiard table that previously belonged to the wealthy owners of Mosar. There are only two such tables in Belarus: one in Glubokoye district, the other in Nesvizh.

Many objects that previously existed in Mosar have long become part of history. For example, in the late 80s of the last century, the collective farm

"Gigant" joined the neighboring farm "Za Rodinu". However, the flax mill, established in 1948, is still operating. Today, the enterprise, reorganized into OJSC "Mosarlen", shows good performance.

The youngest resident of the village, Maria Ivanovskaya, was born on July 18 this year. And Evgenia Vikentyevna Kovalko celebrated her 99th birthday in early spring. A total of over 350 people live here, including 195 of working age, about 40 children and adolescents.

On the day of the celebration of the 500th anniversary of Mosar, a solemn opening of a round-the-clock care home for elderly lonely citizens took place in one of the vacant buildings of the former basic school, and a 9-ton stone was installed opposite the church (in the photo).

– The holiday lasts one day, but we wanted it to be remembered for many years, – says Viktor Karman. We decided that we needed to erect a huge stone and write commemorative lines on it, and plant an alley nearby in honor of the anniversary.

Diana Bernikovich, "Vitebskiye Vesti"