Church of Saints Simon and Helena
| Church of Sts. Simon and Helena Касцёл Свсв. Сымона і Алены |
|
|---|---|
The Red Church
|
|
| Basic information | |
| Location | Minsk, Belarus |
| Geographic coordinates | 53°53′47.47″N 27°32′50.92″E / 53.8965194°N 27.5474778°ECoordinates: 53°53′47.47″N 27°32′50.92″E / 53.8965194°N 27.5474778°E |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Year consecrated | 1910 |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Tomasz Pajzderski |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Completed | 1910 |
| Materials | Clay bricks |
Church of Saints Simon and Helena (Belarusian: Касцёл святых Сымона і Алены) (Polish: Kościół św. Szymona i św. Heleny w Mińsku) also known as the Red Church (Belarusian: Чырвоны касцёл) is a Roman Catholic church on Independence Square in Minsk, Belarus.
This neo-Romanesque church was designed by Polish architects and . The cornerstone was laid in 1905 and the church was completed in 1910. The bricks for its walls were sourced from , whilst the roof tiles came from Włocławek. Its construction was financed by (1847-1928), a prominent Belarusian-Polish landowner, businessman and civic activist. The church was named and consecrated in memory of Woyniłłowicz's two deceased children, Szymon and Helena.
In 1903, about 2,000 of Minsk's Roman Catholics wrote a petition to local authorities asking for a site to start building new Catholic church. This request was approved and construction started in 1905. The church was consecrated on September 20, 1910. On December 21, 1910, the church was opened. At this time, Minsk was part of the Minsk Governorate of the Russian Empire.
In 1921, Minsk became the capital of the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR) within the Soviet Union and the church was sacked by the Red Army. In 1932, it was closed down by the Soviet authorities and was secularized. It was transferred to the State Polish Theatre of the BSSR. It was later used as a cinema. In 1941 during the Second World War, the German occupation administration returned the building to its original use as a church. After the war, it was again closed by the Soviet authorities and again used as a cinema.
...
Wikipedia