In Belarus there is an amazing and unique Catholic church (Vitebsk). The Cathedral of St. Barbara in its entire history has passed many trials and survived many destructions, which made it even more majestic and grandiose. Today, this temple is considered one of the main attractions of the city, and almost all tourists who come here on an excursion begin their inspection from this place.
Journey to the past
According to the preserved records of the city, this church was erected in 1785 (Vitebsk). St. Barbara's Cathedral (its history is very interesting) was first built as a cemetery Catholic church with donations from a local nobleman. After some time, near this building appeared a small house of a Catholic priest and a chapel, built with the money of a Vitebsk cornet. Thus, the cathedral, erected in honor of the illustrious martyr and patroness from sudden death, became a parish.
This temple became very popular among the local devout population, and after a hundred years its parish amounted to about two thousand people, although St. Barbara Cathedral (Vitebsk) itself could accommodate only one hundred and fifty parishioners. That is why it was decided to erect a new and more spacious structure.
Second building
The development of the building project was carried out by the famous engineer and architect V. Piotrovsky. According to his idea, the new church was to be made of stone, and not wooden, as this Catholic church used to be (Vitebsk). St. Barbara's Cathedral in its updated form was opened for parishioners in December 1885, on the eve of the great Catholic holiday of the Nativity of Christ.
All residents of the city were now able to attend the majestic cathedral, which was radically different from the previous building. In this form, the temple stood until 1935, until it was closed, like many other religious buildings, by order of the Soviet government. Almost all the churches were looted, since the city of Vitebsk was experiencing its cultural decline during these years. The Cathedral of St. Barbara (Belarus), unfortunately, was waiting for the same fate, and its building was used as a fertilizer warehouse.
The beautiful temple and the Second World War did not spare. During the fighting, the church was almost completely destroyed, especially its towers. In the post-war period, no one was in a hurry to begin repair work on the structure.
Building restoration
Only in the eighties of the last century, the local city authorities decided that it was necessary to restore the Catholic Church (Vitebsk). At first, they wanted to remake St. Barbara's Cathedral into a hall intended for entertaining events. To the great joy of the parishioners, these plans were not destined to come true, and the temple rose from ruins, becoming a newly functioning parish.
In 1993, a very significant event took place in the church - it was re-lit by the archbishop at the numerous requests of believing Catholics.
Appearance
Today one of the most beautiful ancient buildings of the city is considered to be this Catholic church (Vitebsk). The Cathedral of St. Barbara, whose architecture was recognized as a unique creation of Belarusian architecture, cannot be called an ordinary and ordinary church. Its building combines the two best styles of the time: neo-Gothic and neo-romanticism.
This structure is a cross-domed church of red brick with two bunk towers on its main facade. The building is divided into naves with the help of four huge pillars, and a semicircular aspid completes this design.
The windows of the temple are of different sizes and have the shape of an arch. The whole church is decorated on the outside with a variety of architectural details created using the original brickwork, and its territory is surrounded by a fence with beautiful gates.
Everyone who saw this building says that this Catholic church (Vitebsk) looks quite solemn and monumental. The Cathedral of St. Barbara, the photos taken next to it - a direct confirmation of this, fits very organically into the urban area.
Interior decoration
This building is a truly unique building among the many other architectural monuments of the past years, not only due to its majestic and beautiful exterior design, the decoration of its premises is also very impressive for tourists and local residents.
The interior decoration, the altars in the Roman-Gothic style and the paintings of all those who decide to pay a visit to this Catholic church (Vitebsk) are amazing. Every Sunday St. Barbara's Cathedral still gathers its parishioners to concerts of majestic organ music, held with the assistance of the local philharmonic. These melodies calm the hearts of people and inspire them with warm thoughts about something kind and bright. Numerous lamps and beautiful chandeliers illuminating the premises of the temple also help create a pleasant atmosphere.
general information
Those who decide to visit this Catholic church will find it useful to find out that it is located in Vitebsk, on Leningradskaya street, house 27. Currently, Michael Ermashkevich is the head priest in this church. You can also find all the necessary information by such a phone number: +375 (0212) 35-32-61. You can get to this building by any public transport that runs there from the Polotsk market, or walk on foot from the railway station.
If there is a desire, after visiting the cathedral, to get acquainted in more detail with the cultural life of this Belarusian city, it will be possible to visit other attractions located nearby the temple. For example, next to it is another cathedral - St. Euphrosyne, as well as a beautiful building of the railway station.
Art lovers will appreciate the excursion to the museum of the artist Marc Chagall. Of course, Vitebsk is still worth a visit and in order to get acquainted with its many churches, churches and temples, whose biography has its roots deep in history.