A 500-year-old defensive church with massive walls, round corner towers, and narrow arrow slits instead of windows, the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Murovanka is a powerful testament to an era when houses of worship also served as the last refuge for entire communities during enemy attacks.

Built in the early 16th century, the church-fortress withstood multiple military conflicts. During the Northern War, Swedish troops bombarded it — and iron cannonballs from that assault are still preserved inside the church today, embedded as physical evidence of the building's resilience.

The fortress-like exterior with four round towers. The preserved Swedish cannonballs from the Northern War. The austere Gothic interior. A remarkable example of defensive sacred architecture.