Kreva

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This article is about a township in Belarus. For the Japanese rap artist, see Kreva (rapper).

Kreva (Belarusian: Крэва, pronounced [ˈkrɛva]; Lithuanian: Krėva; Krevas, Polish: Krewo) is a township in Hrodna Voblast, Belarus.

[edit] History

The Kreva Castle, constructed of brick, was built by the Grand Duke Gediminas of Lithuania at the borderland of Lithuanian ethnic lands. After his death in 1341, Kreva became the patrimony of his son and successor, Algirdas. In 1382, Grand Duke of Lithuania Kęstutis was imprisoned here during the Lithuanian Civil War (1381–1384) and subsequently murdered on the order by his nephew Jogaila.

In 1385, the Act of Kreva was signed here. The ruins of the castle were severely damaged during the World War I, as they were near the front lines. They remain extant, to the present day.

In 1387 following the Christianization of Lithuania, Grand Duke of Lithuania Jogaila established a first Roman Catholic parish here in Lithuanian pagan lands and built a church which is now known as the Church of St. Mary.