Roman Catholic Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Roman Catholic Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Kazan). Photo and description
Today, approximately 146 million people live in Russia. Such a large number of people preach different religions. One of the religions widespread in Russia is Catholicism. The exact number of Catholics is unknown and varies from 200 to 600 thousand people. That is why almost 500 parishes have been opened, which actively participate in the social, cultural and charitable life of our country. For example, in Tambov, there is the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
History of the Catholic Church in Tambov
By the end 19th century in the city itself there were 682 Catholics and in 1896 community representatives decided that the construction of a temple was necessary. The construction of the Catholic church began 2 years later and proceeded at a rapid pace. The first service, despite the fact that the repairs inside the building were not completely done, took place already in 1903. The temple, like most similar parishes, was built in the Gothic style, had rich decoration and was built of red brick. Next to the main building of the temple, a two-story building was erected, which housed the Catholic community, a library and the abbot’s apartment.
With the advent of Soviet power, persecution of religion affected both this temple and 1935 it was closed, and the abbot was repressed. After the end of the war, it was decided to move the organ from the temple building, but after it was dismantled, they could no longer be reassembled. The building of the Catholic Church was empty for a very long time, and was eventually transferred to the Tambov Bearing Repair Plant. After the operation of the plant within the walls of the temple, the latter was severely destroyed and lost its former grandeur.
The revival of Catholicism in Tambov occurred in 1996 when the community was restored, and already in 1997 the building was returned to the Catholic Church. After this, active restoration work began and 1998 services were resumed.
Catholic parish today
Currently, daily holy masses are held in the temple building, and organ music concerts are also held on every last Sunday of the month. In addition, the church hosts meetings for everyone who is interested in Catholicism as a religion.
Photo: Catholic Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Photo and description
The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is located in the central part of Kazan, at the end of Peterburgskaya Street. The first Catholic parish appeared in Kazan in 1835. It existed thanks to Polish priests. The parish did not have its own building, and services were held in different buildings in the city. The location of the Catholic parish changed frequently.
In 1855, priest Ostian Galimsky submitted a petition asking for the construction of a Catholic church. The Catholic community was quite large and regularly replenished. Two years later, a positive decision was made, but with conditions: the temple should not have a typically Catholic appearance and should not differ from the houses surrounding it.
Construction began in 1855. The author of the project was A.I. Pesce. The temple was consecrated in November 1858 on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. In 1897, the Kazan parish of the temple consisted of 1,760 people. Among the parishioners were professors of Kazan University: O. Kovalevsky, N. Krushevsky and many other famous people.
By 1908, the temple building was rebuilt and rededicated. In September, a parish school was opened at the church.
After the revolution of 1917, all valuables were confiscated from the church to help the famine-stricken in the Volga region, and in 1927 the parish was dissolved and the church was closed. The Catholic parish of Kazan was restored in 1995. The small chapel of the Passion of the Lord at the Arskoe cemetery was given to Catholics. The chapel was restored with funds donated by Catholic parishes in several countries. In September 1998, the chapel was consecrated by Bishop Clemens Pickel.
In 1999, city authorities allocated a plot of land to Kazan Catholics at the intersection of Aydinov and Ostrovsky streets. Construction of the new church began in 2005. A Mass was held at the construction site to dedicate the cornerstone. It took three years to build the church. In August 2008, the church was solemnly consecrated. The consecration Mass was celebrated by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Angelo Sodano, with Bishop Clemens Pikkel and Nuncio Antonio Menini. Several other bishops and priests took part in the mass.
The temple building was built in the style of classicism. The façade of the old Church of the Exaltation was taken as the basis for the project. The main facade of the building is decorated with a four-column portico, on the sides of which there are symmetrically two quadrangular two-tier bell towers.
The interior of the temple is decorated with white granite. The altar, pulpit and font are also white marble. In the presbytery there is a tall wooden cross. On the sides of the cross there are statues of Christ the Savior and the Virgin Mary. The statues were made by masters in Poland. A beautiful Italian organ was installed in the temple.
The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross has become a decoration and landmark of Kazan.
Question: Recently I walked along Ostrovsky Street and saw an original temple near the Basket Hall, not like our churches. What kind of temple is this?
Konstantin
Answer from a student at the Institute of Social Technologies Tatyana DUNYASHEVA:
At the intersection of Ostrovsky and Aydinov streets there is a Catholic Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This temple attracts the attention not only of Catholics of our republic, but also of pilgrims from different cities of Russia and even the world. Of particular interest to them are the Christian shrines stored in it - the miraculous statue of the Mother of God of Fatima and a piece of the Holy Cross.
The history of the appearance of a Catholic church on Kazan soil also attracts tourists. It is worth clarifying that Catholics, usually Germans by nationality, have lived in the Volga region since the 18th century. The construction of this temple took three years. The grand opening took place on August 29, 2008.
A permanent Catholic parish in Kazan appeared back in 1835. The premises where the liturgy was celebrated and where the priests lived were initially located in the building of the city magistrate (currently building 3 on Bauman Street), in 1847 the parish was moved to the Lebedev House (currently building No. 19 on Karl Marx Street), then to Kiselevsky’s house (currently building 68/25 on Bolshaya Krasnaya Street), later to Yanovsky’s house (currently not preserved).
In 1856, the issue of placement was officially resolved, and soon a stone church building was built and consecrated according to the design of Alexander Ivanovich Peske, wooden house for clergy, a little later - a wooden service wing. The buildings that were built were renovated as the city improved. After the decree of Nicholas II of April 17, 1905, “On the Tolerance of Religions,” restrictions on the appearance of churches of Christian denominations were abolished. Now they could be built in the form of temples. Catholic symbols of the temple could also be introduced and bell towers erected. Then the parish began work on expanding the temple. The reconstruction project was drawn up free of charge by the provincial engineer Lev Kazimirovich Khrshchonovich, and the appearance of the building changed beyond recognition. On September 14, 1908, the church was consecrated and opened for worship.
This is what the church was like in the 1930s
After the establishment of Soviet power, the parish continued to work, but only for a while. In 1921 its activities were stopped. Later, the church building was transferred to the Kazan Aviation Institute (currently KNRTU-KAI named after A.N. Tupolev) for the aerodynamic department. Only a small chapel at the Arskoe cemetery remained operational.
The Catholic parish in Kazan was restored and registered in 1995. Due to the difficulty of moving the wind tunnel from the historical Catholic church, in 1999 the Kazan mayor's office decided to allocate a plot of land in the city center at the intersection of Ostrovsky and Aydinov streets to Kazan Catholics for the construction of a new church. Construction began in 2005. The Mass for the dedication of the cornerstone took place on September 11, 2005.
Today, the life of the community is well established: with the help of sisters and active parishioners, catechesis of children, youth and adults is carried out, youth meetings, choir classes, lessons are regularly held foreign languages, theatrical performances are organized. The charitable foundation “Caritas” and the apostolic movement “Legion of Mary” work at the temple. The newspaper “Our Parish” is published by parishioners.
In the summer of 1907, the Catholic community presented to the construction and technical department of the Vologda province a plan for the construction of a stone church building, according to the design of the architect I.V. Padlevsky. The city authorities allocated a plot of land on Galkinskaya Street to the community. In August 1909, the first work on laying the foundation was completed, and in the spring of 1910 the foundation was consecrated.
On October 19 (November 1), 1913, the provincial technical and construction commission inspected the completed temple building and gave permission for its operation. The commission's act was reviewed by the Construction Department of the Vologda Provincial Board and approved by the vice-governor on October 23 (November 5), 1913 (protocol No. 480). October 27 (November 9), 1913, Canon Konstantin Budkevich, rector of the Church of St. Catherine in St. Petersburg, solemnly consecrated the temple in the name of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
The main facade of the building had a massive semicircular portal, lined with granite and topped with a stepped pediment, as well as a low tower, which had slits for narrow windows and ended with a gable roof with stepped small pediments on the sides. On the plan, the building had a cruciform appearance. The walls of the nave located on the sides were cut through by two pairs of windows on two tiers: on top - with a semi-circular ending, on the bottom - with a rectangular one. The arms of the transept, which also had a stepped end, have two rectangular windows at the bottom, and a large semi-circular window at the top. On the side of the altar component of the building, along the entire width of the transept, there is a two-story building intended for service needs, which is in perfect harmony with the temple. The annex served as a priest's residence, a parish house and a sacristy. The rear end of the two-story extension was decorated with a stepped pediment. General form The temple was compact and elegant, which still makes it stand out against the backdrop of urban development. Built in 1913, the temple did not last long - until 1929. In 1911-1926. The rector of the parish was Father Jan Worslav, in whom he was arrested in the late 1920s. He was helped by fathers Vyacheslav Glyuzinsky and Friedrich-Josaphat Giscard. In 1925-1926 A priest from Kostroma, Father Jozef Yuzvik, came to the parish, simultaneously bordering the parishes of Kostroma, Arkhangelsk, Yaroslavl and Rybinsk. The size of the community has decreased significantly, because many Polish families left for their homeland.
During 1917-1922, a large number of Catholics in the city were repressed. In 1929, a decision was made to liquidate the Catholic community and close the church. The temple was given to the city Young Pioneers Club. In the 1970-1980s. the building stood abandoned and was slowly collapsing. In March 1989, after renovations carried out by the Public Catering Trust, the Miskolc restaurant was opened in the church. In Vologda in 1993, a Catholic community and the Parish of the Dormition of the Mother of God were formed. The Catholic parish of Vologda has repeatedly appealed to the authorities with a request to return the building. From the windows of the parish chapel you can see the church building, one of the most unusual buildings in the city. In the winter of 1991, a lease agreement was signed for the building, which was previously a temple. On September 9, 1993, the building was privatized and it became the property of Miskolc LLC, which has independently carried out restoration and reconstruction of the building since 2012. During these years, the building was resold and rented out (including to the CULT nightclub).
On this moment the building houses the Miskolc entertainment center (named after the third largest city in Hungary, known as a settlement from Paleolithic times that preserved traditional medieval culture and buildings, or the Hungarian women's basketball team of the same name), as well as a restaurant. The building is certified as an identified architectural monument, as an object cultural heritage Russia. For twenty years now, the Catholic community has been unsuccessfully fighting for the return of the church to the parish. On September 15, 2014, Archbishop Pavel Pezzi visited the parish of the Assumption of the Mother of God in Vologda, celebrating the centenary of the construction of the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The parish is served by verbist priests, the Congregation of the Society of the Word of God (SVD), founded in 1875 by St. Arnold Janssen. There are concerts of classical music, including organ music. In the summer, vacations are organized for the children of the parish, and pilgrimage trips are made.