St. Joseph Church

Minsk, Belarus

St. Joseph Church is a former Roman Catholic church. The building, which is an example of the Baroque architecture style, was completed in 1752. The church was named after the monastery to which it belonged. It was closed in the 1860s and became an Orthodox Church. Since the late 19th century, it has been used to store archives.

References:

Comments

Your name

Website (optional)


Address

Vulitsa Enhyel’sa, Minsk, Belarus
See all sites in Minsk

Details

Founded: 1752
Category: Religious sites in Belarus

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Minsk City Hall (0,1 km)
Holy Spirit Cathedral (0,1 km)
Cathedral of Saint Virgin Mary (0,2 km)
Great Patriotic War Museum (0,3 km)
Church of Saints Simon and Helena (1,1 km)
Peter and Paul Cathedral (0,3 km)
Belarusian National Arts Museum (0,7 km)
Holy Trinity Church (1,7 km)
Loshyca Manor (6,2 km)

User Reviews

Mr. Crazyman (6 months ago)
Буду молиться, чтобы найти Антона
Андрей Зимников (7 months ago)
Мне понравилось!
Sarmite Eglite (11 months ago)
Iespaidīgi. Dievkalpojumi tiek translēt ārpusē
Yegor Mukha (15 months ago)
The former church of Bernardine Order. Was a part of a monastery. However, now is used as an archives, so entrance inside is not allowed. It is worth to mention the underground tunnels to the neighboring building, which are still not fully discovered. According to the legends, there are tunnels across all the old town, including a tunnel to the cathedral of St Mary.
Rostislaw (16 months ago)
Dawny kościół oo. Bernardynów pw. Św. Józefa jest od czasu powstania styczniowego wykorzystywany jako archiwum, a więc nieczynny. Do środka nie można się dostać, zresztą, z wyposażenia nic nie przetrwało, a sam kościół jest w środku podzielony na kilka pięter. Zwrot kościoła wiernym jest mało prawdopodobny ze względu na położenie tuż przed prawosławnym soborem katedralnym, zajmującym dawny kościół ss. Bernardynek. Więc ten klincz tkwi od 150 lat i końca temu nie widać...
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Must-see historic sighs in Luxembourg
Photo from Flickr, copyright Alexxx1979

Historic Site of the week

Church of the Savior on Blood

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is one of the main sights of St. Petersburg. The church was built on the site where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated and was dedicated in his memory. Construction began in 1883 under Alexander III, as a memorial to his father, Alexander II. Work progressed slowly and was finally completed during the reign of Nicholas II in 1907. Funding was provided by the Imperial family with the support of many private donors.

Architecturally, the Cathedral differs from St. Petersburg's other structures. The city's architecture is predominantly Baroque and Neoclassical, but the Savior on Blood harks back to medieval Russian architecture in the spirit of romantic nationalism. It intentionally resembles the 17th-century Yaroslavl churches and the celebrated St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.

The Church contains over 7500 square metres of mosaics — according to its restorers, more than any other church in the world. The interior was designed by some of the most celebrated Russian artists of the day — including Viktor Vasnetsov, Mikhail Nesterov and Mikhail Vrubel — but the church's chief architect, Alfred Alexandrovich Parland, was relatively little-known (born in St. Petersburg in 1842 in a Baltic-German Lutheran family). Perhaps not surprisingly, the Church's construction ran well over budget, having been estimated at 3.6 million roubles but ending up costing over 4.6 million. The walls and ceilings inside the Church are completely covered in intricately detailed mosaics — the main pictures being biblical scenes or figures — but with very fine patterned borders setting off each picture.

In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, the church was ransacked and looted, badly damaging its interior. The Soviet government closed the church in the early 1930s. During the Second World War when many people were starving due to the Siege of Leningrad by Nazi German military forces, the church was used as a temporary morgue for those who died in combat and from starvation and illness. The church suffered significant damage. After the war, it was used as a warehouse for vegetables, leading to the sardonic name of Saviour on Potatoes.

In July 1970, management of the Church passed to Saint Isaac's Cathedral (then used as a highly profitable museum) and proceeds from the Cathedral were funneled back into restoring the Church. It was reopened in August 1997, after 27 years of restoration, but has not been reconsecrated and does not function as a full-time place of worship; it is a Museum of Mosaics. Even before the Revolution it never functioned as a public place of worship; having been dedicated exclusively to the memory of the assassinated tsar, the only services were panikhidas (memorial services). The Church is now one of the main tourist attractions in St. Petersburg.

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2019 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.