Carthusian monastery in Birch only to the Carthusian monastery, located on the territory of the former USSR. The order of Carthusians (carthusiana) was founded in France in the year 1084. It was one of the most militant and ascetic orders of medieval Europe. The Carthusians despised luxury, but respected knowledge and science, helped the poor and sick, and knew a lot about defensive fortifications. Their monasteries were excellent fortresses.

In 1646, the son of the famous Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Lev Sapieha Kazimir lion wrote a letter to the monks of the Carthusian monks who lived near Gdansk, where he spoke about his order and asked permission to settle in his dominions. Casimir Leo Sapieha was not inferior to the father in his Christian zeal, he continued his father's business and became the founder, Builder, the Trustee of the many Catholic monasteries. He liked the idea to found a Carthusian monastery. Having asked permission of Bishop Andrew Gamblimg, he invited the monks in one of their possessions in the village of Birch.

For the construction of the monastery was invited Italian architect Jean Baptiste Ghisleni, under whose leadership in 1648-1689, was erected a monastery, which was destined to become crucial in the history of Nations.

The monastery was located inside the impregnable walls and included fraternal buildings of the monks, a temple, library, dining hall, hospital, pharmacy, outbuildings, a garden and a pond. It was a real fortified city, able to withstand the most grueling siege. After the construction of the monastery, the city received a double name Birch-Kartuzy.

In 1706, in the Carthusian monastery took place the meeting of the two monarchs: the Russian Tsar Peter I and the Polish king August II, who had fateful consequences for the course of the Northern war.

The monastery was many times attacked by the enemies, sometimes the enemy was too strong to could restrain monastery walls. Each RAID was accompanied by devastation of the monastery, but it was again rebuilt. Suffered very much from the monastery of the war with Napoleon in 1812. After the third partition of the Commonwealth, when the Russian government began to oppress the Catholics, began the decline of the monastery, and in 1831 it was closed. Part of the building was handed over to the military, part – dismantled and sold for building material. In 1915, the remaining buildings of the monastery and Church were burned. Up to the present day remained only the ruins of the once mighty medieval monastery-fortress.