FINDINGS OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY ON THE TERRITORY OF THE FORMER FRANCISCAN MONASTERY IN POLOTSK IN 2022

The article presents the first results of an archaeological study of one of the poorly studied monastic complexes of Polotsk – the Franciscan Monastery. Today, only the cell building remains from the once extensive complex of buildings. Cultural layers associated with the original history of the monastery were discovered in only one pit and are represented by the remains of a burnt wooden building from the 17th century. In the second half of the 18th century, a church and a cell building were built in its place out of brick. The closure of the Franciscan monastery and the expulsion of its monks due to their participation in the 1831 gentry revolt led to the abandonment of the coastal fortification structures, which in turn caused soil displacement, cracks in the buildings and the sliding of the complex towards the river. By the 1860s, the cracks (primarily transverse ones) on the walls and vaults of the church had become threatening, so the authorities sold the entire monastery complex for demolition. The church, as the most dangerous building, was quickly and carefully dismantled by the new owner. Excavations on the territory of the monument and soundings in the monastery building revealed a fragment of a wall and a number of artifacts from the interior decoration of the temple.