Many tourists arriving from Europe and America are interested in the question of which Catholic churches in Moscow can be visited and where they are located. One of the oldest and most frequently visited Catholic churches in the capital of Russia is the Church of St. Louis of France. But, of course, there are other churches in Moscow that belong to the Western direction of Christianity. About which ones, and we'll talk further.
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary
This Catholic church in Moscow was built in 1899-1911. Initially, they wanted to build only a branch of the church of Peter and Paul. However, by this time more than 30 thousand Catholics already lived in Moscow. There were not enough churches, so it was decided to build a separate large temple. Funds for its construction came mainly from Poland and Belarus. The parishioners also made many donations.
This temple operated until 1938. During the Stalinist repressions, it was closed, and the priest was shot. At the same time, the Catholic organ was broken, and the facade was disfigured. Several government agencies have moved into the building. For convenienceofficials temple was rebuilt. It was divided into four floors, and the turrets and spiers were demolished so that nothing would remind of the religious affiliation of the structure.
With the advent of perestroika, the temple was returned to believers. Tadeusz Pikus became its rector. In 1990, he held the first mass on the steps of the temple. However, the building was officially handed over to the Catholic parish only a year later. A photo of the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary is located below.
After the restoration, the temple was re-consecrated. It happened in 1999. From that moment on, it was given the status of a cathedral. In 2005, a new organ was donated to the temple. It was sent from the Lutheran Cathedral in Basel. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is located on Malaya Gruzinskaya Street, house 27. See the bottom of the page for exact location of the Catholic churches of Moscow on the map of Moscow.
Church of Saint Louis of France
This temple was consecrated on 1835-24-11. Initially, a wooden Catholic church stood in its place. The vice-consul of France himself took the initiative regarding its construction. Immediately after the fall of the Bastille - on July 15, 1789 - he turned to Catherine II with a request for permission to build a Catholic church in Moscow. The Empress gave permission for its construction. However, at first the construction of the church was supposed to be in the German Quarter. But the petitioners managed to convince the queen and get permission to build a temple near the Kuznetsk bridge. It was in this area that a lot of French people lived in those days.
Temple Louis is notable for the fact that divine services did not stop here even after the revolution. However, they were carried out, of course, under the supervision of the first Cheka, and then the KGB.
In 1950, the Louis Church was solemnly handed over to the Catholic Church of the B altic States. However, in 1991 it was returned to the French Church. After that, restoration work was carried out in the temple.
The Church of St. Louis is located on Malaya Lubyanka street, house 12.
Activities of the Temple of Louis
This Catholic church in Moscow has become a haven for several parishes and communities at once. In addition, tourists who come to the capital with their priest are also allowed to perform church rituals. Services in this temple are held in different languages - English, French, Italian, Russian, Lithuanian, Polish, etc.
The parish of St. Louis is active in charitable activities. For example, it helps African students who come to study in Moscow. The temple has a help center for those in need. People who find themselves in difficult life situations can come here for warm clothes or food.
Catholic Church of Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga
This is a new temple, recently consecrated. The decision to open it, since there were no longer enough functioning Catholic churches, was made in 2000. In 2003, the old building of the House of Culture was allocated to the parish. It is currently a functioning temple. Within its walls, among other things, there is a clubanonymous alcoholics, charity events are held. The rector of the temple at the moment is Pelyak Dariusz Stanislav. The Church of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga is located at 6 Kirova Proyezd.
Church of Saint Andrew
This Catholic church in Moscow has been operating since 1814. The building where services are held today was rebuilt in 1882-1884. The project was made by the English architect R. K. Freeman. After the revolution, in 1920, this church was closed. It has now been returned to believers. The Anglican Church of St. Andrew can be visited at the address: Voznesensky lane, house 8.
Peter and Paul Lutheran Church
This Evangelical Lutheran church in Moscow was built in 1664. It was originally built from wood. The land for it was acquired by the artist Peter Inglis and General Bauman. In 1667, a larger church was erected in its place, but also made of wood. At the same time, a pastor's house and a school were attached to it. However, the land passed into the official possession of the Catholic community only in 1670. In 1685, the Church of Saints Peter and Paul was consecrated.
This wooden Catholic church in Moscow burned down three times and was finally destroyed in 1812. The congregation at that time had to move into a temporary prayer house.
In 1817, the Catholic community of Moscow bought the Lopukhins' estate, located not far from Nemetskaya Sloboda. The house was rebuilt into a church at the expense of the King of Prussia. In addition, money for the construction of the churchthe Russian emperor also lent. The new church was illuminated in 1819. In the middle of the 19th century, it was slightly expanded.
The building where the parish operates today was built in 1903-1913. The author of the project was the English architect W. F. Walcott. The Russian architect V. A. Kossov built the church.
In 1924 this temple became the main Lutheran cathedral in the country. However, persecution of the church soon begins, and the activity of this parish is prohibited, and the building itself is transferred to secular institutions. At the same time, as in the case of the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary, the spire was demolished. Again the church was handed over to believers in 1988. Divine services in the temple are held in Russian and German. The address of this church is Starosadsky lane, house 7. The photo of the church of Peter and Paul is located below.
Concerts at the Church of Peter and Paul
The first organ was purchased by this church back in 1892 in Germany. For a long time it was the best concert instrument of the capital. However, during the Second World War, in 1941, this organ was taken to Novosibirsk and disappeared. There is evidence that it was partly sold for scrap, and partly used as decorations.
In 1996, another organ was donated to the community. Shortly before this, the old Lutheran church in Moscow in the German settlement was destroyed, and it was decided to transfer the instrument to the church of Peter and Paul. Thanks to this organ, the church is currently not only a religious building, but also one of the cultural centers of the capital. The acoustics in the hall of this church are simply wonderful, so very oftenquite secular concerts are held here.
Chapel of the Spanish-Portuguese Catholic Community
Catholic tourists can visit not only the churches and temples of Moscow. In the capital there is also a chapel belonging to the community of this Christian direction. It is located near the Cathedral. Community members are mostly students from Africa and Latin America. The chapel was opened in the 90s. Services are held regularly. The community also organizes festive meetings, fundraising, clothing and food for the needy, out-of-town meetings for Muscovites, etc. Its members take an active part in the life of foreign students, support single mothers, etc. Services are held here in Portuguese and Spanish. The chapel is located at Volkov lane, 7/9, building 2, apt. 11.
Chapel of the German community
This church is run by the German Embassy in Moscow. It is located on Vernadsky Avenue, in an ordinary apartment. Sometimes services are held here, sometimes in the great hall of the embassy itself. Liturgies are held once a week. Like all other Catholic communities, the German one is engaged in charity work. The chapel also has a library of religious literature.
Chapel on Kutuzovsky
In 1982, the Catholic chapel, previously located on Sadovaya Samotechnaya in the diplomatic building, on the territory of the diplomatic building, was moved to Kutuzovsky Prospekt, to an ordinary apartment. It does not have a permanent priest. Services are heldchaplains of specific communities.
Catholic churches in Moscow (you can see some photos above on the page) experienced both flourishing and hard times. Today they, as before, receive believers and are major centers of charitable activities. People who find themselves in difficult life situations can come here and get help.
How the main Catholic churches of Moscow are located on the map of Moscow can be seen below.
It is around them that the life of the Catholic communities of the capital is mainly concentrated.
