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KLESZCZELE - a stone church dedicated to Saint. Zygmunt from 1907 with a wooden belfry from 1910.

After the death of queen Helena (1476-1513), the Kleszczele estate in 1513 was pledged to the Lithuanian nobles - the Radziwiłł family. In 1523, they were bought by Olbracht Marcinowicz Gasztołda of the Awdaniec coat of arms (died 1539), the Bielsk staroste (1513-1536) and the voivode of Vilnius (1522-1539). The said voivode, ordered by King Zygmunt I Stary (1506-1548), founded the town of Kleszczele in the "raw root" in 1523. On March 22, 1523, the king approved the location of Gasztołda and granted the city the Chełmno law. The mayor of Kleszczele (before 1530 - around 1560) was then Stanisław Mordasiewicz (died around 1560), and after his death, son Mateusz Mordasiewicz (around 1560 - around 1572), a graduate of the Krakow Academy (1542). By the will of the voevoda he came to Kleszczele about 1530, priest. Szczęsny (Felix) Sasin from Tykocin, who presumably had a temporary chapel at his disposal (prob. 1530-1548). On May 25, 1531 - on the basis of the decision of King Zygmund I the Old - the Kleszczele rectory received a mill handed over to him by Leszek Słomicz, the Bielsk Horodniczy (łac. aedilis). In 1533, the town of Kleszczele bought the queen Bona from the hands of Olbracht Gasztołda.

The first, wooden Roman Catholic church. Transfiguration of the Lord, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Zygmunt Męczennik in Kleszczele was erected from the foundation of Zygmunt I the Old and his wife Bona Sforza d'Aragon (1494-1557) after 1533. The document on the salvation of the parish in the land and tithing was signed by the aforementioned king on March 20, 1535. On September 24, 1544, his wife, Queen Bona, extended his husband's marriage, and twice their son, King Zygmunt II Augustus (1548-1572), on January 12, 1557 and May 25, 1562. During the Moscow invasion at the end of 1659, the church was burnt together with the presbytery. For many years, the parishioners prayed in a makeshift chapel.

In the same place in 1723, another wooden church was erected, thanks to the efforts of Fr. Jan Chrościewicz (died 1757), a local parish priest (1720-1740). He stood in the center of the city opposite the Uniate temple. St. Nicholas. The solemn consecration in 1726 was made by Fr. Stefan Rupniewski (1671-1731), bishop of Łuck (1721-1731).

As part of post-uprising repressions, on September 5, 1865, a private chapel was closed in the Kruhłe estate, on the orders (No. 13997/1865) of Konstanty von Kaufman, Grodno and Vilnius Governor (1865-1866). The next verse (No. 38/1866) of the same governor on June 30, 1866, the Kleszczowski church was closed, and the whole beneficiary, five bells and three paintings were taken over by the Orthodox Church. On the former site of the Catholic church in 1872, the construction of the Orthodox church of St. The Assumption of the Virgin Mary, using materials from the dismantled Catholic temple. For 44 years, the faithful were deprived of the temple and were forced to attend services to: Bielsk Podl., Boćki and Wysokie Litewskie. This state of affairs lasted until the departure of the tsarist tolerant show on April 30, 1905.

By decree of priest Edward Libera, baron von Ropp (1851-1939), bishop of Vilnius (1904-1907) in 1906, the parish in Kleszczele resumed its activity. The first parish priest (1906-1910) was appointed priest. Kazimierz Kowalewski (1879-1927). On the newly purchased square, the faithful built a new temple in the years 1907-1910. St. Zygmunt Burgundzkiego, Martyr. The construction was managed by Joachim Łukaszewicz from Boćki. The dedication of the foundation stone on May 3, 1908 was made by Antoni Panasiewicz (1870-1916), dean of Bielsk (1907-1916), and on July 27, 1910, the priest dedicated a new neoclassical church.

During the Soviet-German war in June 1941, the temple was severely damaged by artillery shells. Its reconstruction was carried out in 1946 by Father Aleksander Swerpel (1891-1962), pastor of Kleszczele (1930-1948). In 1950, Kleszczele lost its municipal rights. They were restored in 1993.

Until the Second World War, there was a wooden chapel in the parish in Starzyna. Our Lady of Grace, erected in 1934 at the expense of the State Forest Inspectorate. Her dedication on November 13, 1934 was made by Antoni Beszta - Borowski (1880-1943), parish priest and dean of Bielsk (1927-1943).

On the right side of the church is a wooden belfry, built in 1923 by the efforts of priest Teodosius Żyliński (1873-1928), then Kleechowski parish priest (1922-1928).

In the city center, about 500 m from the present church, on the former parish square there is a wooden presbytery, which was built by the Orthodox Church around 1900. At the end of 1922, the abovementioned priest lived here. Teodosius Żyliński.