One of the most beautiful churches in Minsk is the Catholic Church of Saints Simeon and Helena. This monument of religious architecture is located in the center of the capital, decorating it with its architecture. The condition of the benefactor Edward Adam Voynilovich, on whose money this temple was built, was the requirement that the church be erected in strict accordance with the project approved by him and his wife. This church will be discussed below.
Initiator and sponsor of construction
The Church of St. Simeon and St. Helena owes its existence to a noble and respected person in the society of his time - Edward Voynilovich. During his lifetime, he was a justice of the peace and chairman of the agricultural society in Minsk. By the way, the Church of St. Simeon and St. Helena was not the only religious building built at his expense. He also sponsored the construction of Kletsk for Jewish believers.synagogues, and for Orthodox Christians - churches. This man died in 1928 at the age of 81.
Start of construction
For the first time, the idea of building a church dawned on the townspeople in 1897. But it was not so easy to implement it, and the construction had to be postponed. Only in 1905, the city authorities allocated a plot for building a Catholic church. The sponsorship of the Voynilovich couple made it possible to implement the project. The motive of the spouses was not just the desire to help the Catholic community find their own building for prayers and worship. The fact is that in 1897, Edward and his wife's twelve-year-old son Simeon died due to a serious illness. And in 1903, for the same reason, a daughter died, who passed away to another world on the eve of her nineteenth birthday. In memory of their deceased children, the couple decided to donate the church of St. Simeon and St. Helena to the city.
Building a temple
The authors of the project were the architect from Warsaw Tomasz Poyazdersky. There is an interesting story about how this temple was created. According to her, shortly before her death, Edward's daughter Helena had a dream in which a beautiful temple appeared. After waking up, she made a sketch of this building. It was this drawing that served as a starting point and a guideline in the development of the project, as a result of which the church of St. Simeon and St. Helena was built. Minsk is still proud of this building as a real gem of urban architecture.
The two towers of the church represent the two dead children of the Voynilovich family. On the northeast side was a large tower fifty meters high. She symbolized parental grief for the lost children. Rose-windows let the sunlight into the building, passing it through the stained-glass windows, created by Frantishko Bruzdovich based on traditional Belarusian ornaments. Musical accompaniment of divine services in the church was carried out by a large organ and three bells. Together with the religious building, the so-called plebania was built - a residential building and utility rooms for the priest to live. The entire complex was surrounded by an iron fence with wrought iron gates.
Completed the construction of the temple in five years. In November 1910, the Church of St. Simeon and St. Helena was consecrated in a solemn ceremony. Public services in it began shortly before Christmas of the same year.
Revolution
After the revolution of 1917, the church, of course, was closed. On the other hand, the Polish Theater was located in its building, which was inherited by the Cinema House in combination with a cafe. This place was considered prestigious in Soviet times and it was not so easy to get there.
Return to the Believers
The return of the building to the hands of believers took place in 1990. Six years later, a sculpture of the Archangel Michael, piercing a dragon with a spear, symbolizing evil, was installed on the territory of the complex. In 2000, next to this sculpture, a monument “the bell of Nagasaki” appeared, which enriched the church of St. Simeon and St. Helena. Belarus received it as a gift from the Catholics of Nagasaki. This bell was madean exact match to a Japanese model named "Angel" that miraculously survived the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
Church today
Red Church - this is how the townspeople call the Church of St. Simeon and St. Helena today for its color due to red brick. Minsk and residents of the capital consider it not only one of their religious centers, but also a cultural landmark. Under the main basilica of the temple, various exhibitions, concerts and performances are periodically held in a special hall. The organ music concerts held in the church are also famous.
Unfortunately, nothing is known about where the remains of the children of the Voynilovich family are now buried - when transferring the church building for the needs of the theater, the Soviet authorities ordered the family crypt to be demolished and the remains reburied. After the return of the church to believers, its builder, Edward Voynilovich, was buried near the temple, whose remains were transported from Poland, fulfilling his will.
Church of St. Simeon and St. Helena: address
This temple is one of the calling cards of Minsk. For those who wish to visit it, it will be useful to know the address: Minsk, Sovetskaya street, 15.
