Archaeologists found two towers of the Sapieha castle in Ruzhany
Lev Sapieha's study was located in the corner tower, and a chapel in the southern one.
Archaeologists unearthed two towers of the original Sapieha castle from the late 16th – early 17th century on the territory of the Ruzhany Palace Complex, reported BelTA in the culture department of the Pruzhany District Executive Committee.
Archaeologists unearthed the corner (north-eastern) and southern (central) towers.
"The corner tower was excavated even earlier. Archaeological work was carried out there, if I'm not mistaken, in the 1990s. This year, it was decided to excavate it again for a detailed study of its structure," said Alena Kubarka, head of the culture department of the district executive committee. "The southern tower was found by accident. We knew about its existence from drawings. Last year, restorers were clearing the foundation and stumbled upon masonry. According to Becker's drawings (German architect Jan Samuel Becker rebuilt the Sapieha castle into a palace complex in the mid-18th century), we began to look for its outlines to confirm that it was indeed a tower. We found the corners and handed the information over to the archaeologists."
This summer, archaeologists continued their research and fully excavated the foundation of the southern tower. This confirmed the information that Lev Sapieha's castle had three towers.
"The third one is the western tower. Becker did not destroy it. The other two were demolished during the rebuilding of the castle into a palace complex. The western tower became part of the main building's overall ensemble. Restorers also cleared it, found an entrance to the dungeons and spiral staircases. We received answers to many mysteries left by the castle. We are confident that many more discoveries await us," noted Alena Kubarka.
The purpose of the towers is approximately known from inventory descriptions.
Thus, Lev Sapieha's study was located in the corner tower, and a chapel in the southern one. Like the entire castle, the towers performed defensive functions.
Presumably, the main building will be musealized. For this, specialists need to determine how to adapt it to tourist needs and organize full-fledged excursions.
"The decision is planned to be made by the end of the year — after the completion of excavations and all research. Then it will be clear what we will have to work with, what can be done, and a concept can be developed. It will be possible to walk around the territory of the main building and imagine how everything actually looked," summarized Alena Kubarka.