The Church of St. Michael in Synkavichy is a Gothic church was built in 16th century. It is one of the first fortified churches in Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1880-1881, the temple was significantly reconstructed. In 1926, it was rebuilt as a Catholic church. In 1988-1990, it become Orthodox. This site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2004.
The defensive system of the church consists of four towers and loopholes placed under the vaults. The interior of the church looks like a hall, its cross-shaped vaults with nervuses rest on six pillars. With the purpose to improve the defence capacity the windows are raised high above the ground.
References:Celje Castle was once the largest fortification on Slovenian territory. The first fortified building on the site (a Romanesque palace) was built in the first half of the 13th century by the Counts of Heunburg from Carinthia on the stony outcrop on the western side of the ridge where the castle stands. It had five sides, or four plus the southern side, which was a natural defence. The first written records of the castle date back to between 1125 and 1137; it was probably built by Count Gunter. In the western section of the castle, there was a building with several floors. Remains of the walls of this palatium have survived. In the eastern section, there was an enclosed courtyard with large water reservoirs. The eastern wall, which protects the castle from its most exposed side, was around three metres thicker than the rest of the curtain wall. The wall was topped with a parapet and protected walkway.