The idea of the composer Alfred Schnittke that any of the Gothic cathedrals is a certain model of the world concerns both the Catholic and Protestant currents. Any of them must be understood as a big city. After all, the very construction of temples provided for the accommodation of the entire population of the city. In other words, every temple must be huge. This task was helped to solve an ingenious solution regarding the construction of vaults.
Catholic Cathedral Art
Each Catholic Cathedral seemed to be much larger with its internal volume than from the outside. Another achievement in the construction of Gothic cathedrals is the unity in architecture, in the interior, in decor. But on the other hand, a Gothic cathedral always combines art of different types and times.
In the Gothic style itself, such art forms as sculpture, colored stained-glass windows, decorative design in the form of carvings in wood, stone, bone, and all this with musical accompaniment, developed unusually. The Catholic Cathedral is decoratedsculptural works and compositions from them, various types of ornaments, figures of real and fantastic animals. A special iconography of Christian saints always adorns the western portals of the cathedral. And the main entrance is decorated with sculptures of saints. There are up to eight dozen of them. Interior design of the Catholic Cathedral - stained glass windows. The light pouring from them with iridescent shades and a variety of colors creates a feeling of the infinite reality of the sky. Sometimes the total area of stained-glass windows of the temple reached two and a half thousand square meters. Separately, you should pay attention to the music in the cathedral. Initially, schools of music were formed in the cathedrals. And these schools have produced many famous organists. Their sounding works, combined with the light passing through the stained-glass windows, create a feeling of an unearthly reality, confirming that the cathedral is indeed the prototype of the whole world.
The first of three temples
Catholic churches in Moscow coexist peacefully with Orthodox churches and churches of other faiths. The first of the three existing churches was the Church of Peter and Paul.
It was founded in the German Quarter by the decision of Tsar Peter I at the beginning of the eighteenth century. But his fate was not long-term. Built with the money of the Polish community in Milyutinsky Lane, it existed until the October Revolution. Then the church was closed and rebuilt. The removal of the dome, the installation of interfloor ceilings turned the temple building into an ordinary three-story house. Subsequently, they began to place variousstate institutions. In modern times, there is a research institute. It is difficult to recognize the once majestic church in this simple building. Only a plaque on the wall recalls that there was a Roman Catholic cathedral here.
Second City Cathedral
The second Catholic Moscow Cathedral was the church of the settlers of Moscow - the French. This is the Cathedral of Saint Louis. Built on Malaya Lubyanka at the end of the eighteenth century.
It has been rebuilt many times, but it still operates today. The current building was built in the middle of the nineteenth century. And at the beginning of the twentieth century, a French lyceum was opened under him. It should be noted that this Catholic cathedral was not closed in the seventeenth year, like most churches, and there was always a church service in it with short breaks. Already in the nineties of the last century, all the buildings that belonged to it before the revolution were transferred to the church.
Briefly about the most famous cathedral
There is no doubt that the most important among the Moscow cathedrals is the Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. Its construction went on from the end of the nineteenth to the beginning of the twentieth century along Malaya Gruzinskaya Street in Moscow. The beauty and monumentality of the structure is amazing.
The church was closed in the thirties of the twentieth century. The premises of the church survived World War II without much damage. Therefore, subsequently the premises were used for warehouses. And in 1990 the church was handed over to the Catholics.
Need to open
In the middle of the nineteenth century, a petition came to the office of the Moscow province for permission to build another church for Catholics. The petition described a significant increase in Polish settlers in the city. Soon the community received permission, but subject to certain conditions. It was ordered to build a temple far from the central buildings of the city, as well as large Orthodox shrines. Above the temple there should not be tower buildings and various sculptures. Sculptor Bogdanovich developed and approved the project. The Catholic Cathedral had a capacity of five thousand believers and had external sculptural decorations.
Building history
The main buildings were erected at the beginning of the twentieth century at the expense of the inhabitants of the Polish nationality of the city and all of Russia. It should be said that at that time there were already about thirty thousand Catholics in Moscow. The building itself cost the Poles up to two hundred and seventy thousand, and additional money was collected for the fence and decoration. Finishing continued for a long time.
At the very first persecution of the church, even before the war, it was closed and converted into a hostel. The war destroyed several temple towers. In the sixties of the twentieth century, a research institute was located in the temple. To do this, the internal volume of the room was radically changed. Four floors have been formed. The ninetieth year of the twentieth century returned the Catholic Cathedral in Moscow to the church. After six decades of interruption, the first service was served. Hundreds of believers listened to the service standing onsteps. Only by 1996, after long negotiations and the eviction of the research institute, the Catholic Cathedral was transferred to its intended purpose and consecrated. Malaya Gruzinskaya, a Catholic cathedral, became famous after the world Catholic prayer service through a teleconference and celebrations on the occasion of the centenary of the temple in 2011
Description of the temple
Legend says that the prototype of this cathedral was Westminster. The spire of the central tower glorifies the cross, and the spiers of the side towers are the coats of arms of the founders. At the entrance to the cathedral there is a sculpture depicting the crucifixion of Christ. In the central hall there are benches in two sectors with a passage between them. To the side are rooms for confession. Massive columns are organically arranged in the hall. The ceilings are made in the form of arches with diagonal symmetry, forming vaults in the form of a cross. Windows with sharp upper corners and stained-glass windows. Under the windows - wall bas-reliefs. At a certain height there are choirs, designed for fifty singers. The organ is also there. The entire building of the cathedral from a distance resembles the shape of a cross. The idea of the architect to depict the church as the body of Christ is obvious. A similar layout exists in other churches, and it is called a cruciform. Dark green marble altar.
Massive bells are fixed to the left in the temple. There are only five of them, from largest to smallest. The mass of the bells starts from nine hundred kilograms with a tendency to gradually reduce the weight of the next bell. The bells are powered by electronics.
Cathedral organ music
Third CatholicCathedral in Moscow has an organ instrument, which has become the largest in the country. On it, works of different historical eras are performed without problems. It is composed of seventy-three registers, four manuals and five thousand five hundred and sixty-three pipes. The organ is a gift from Switzerland. It was created by craftsmen in 1955. It was transported to Moscow in parts and installed by masters of the German company "Kaufbeuren" free of charge. The organ was consecrated in 2005.
Festivals and concerts
On Malaya Gruzinskaya Street, the Catholic Cathedral, as a unique architectural monument, is also a concert hall in Moscow. Its walls are filled with music from festivals and concerts. The acoustics of the building creates a special sound of sacred organ music. Here the heart of even the most callous person becomes softer.
Respecting the ancient European cultural traditions, the Catholic Cathedral regularly gives concerts and welcomes everyone who wants to enjoy sublime music. Here, all the vaults of the cathedral are filled with the sound of compositions of various musical geniuses from all over the world. A visit to the temple gives you the opportunity to hear, simultaneously with the medieval Gregorian chant, modern jazz music performed by the organ. Visitors are always offered a large selection of performances and concert programs. The whole family can go to a concert in the afternoon, enjoy festive festivals, evenings of sacred music and medieval mysteries. It is also important that all the money for the purchased tickets is used for repair and restoration work.in the church.
