A Prayer
in Grodno (Hrodna), Belarus
After we crossed the bridge, there was a small road going down along the main river. From there, we could see the New Fortress and the Old Fortress. Behind them, there was another river where a little cruise boat was anchored.
I spotted a wooden house on the hill. When I strained my eyes, I saw a Roman Orthodox cross on the dome-shaped roof, which was dull-shining against a cloudy sky. As soon as I talked to myself “It looks like a hidden church,” my boyfriend said, “Let’s walk there.”
We went down a slope from the edge of the bridge, and as we approached the water surface we had to walk around an abandoned factory. There was a tiny unsafe looking bridge. After crossing it, we found stone steps on the right hand side which led us to the church.
As we were going up the steep steps we noticed that the church was not initially built of wood, but was made with stones and bricks. It was partially covered with wood, as if camouflaged.
