Roman Catholic Church. Attempts to return the cathedral to the sphere of spiritual life

The largest Catholic church in Russia. One of two operating Catholic churches in Moscow, along with the Church of St. Louis of France. The cathedral is very beautiful and majestic, especially when lit at night. Having experienced many upheavals in its lifetime, the temple is now open for visits and concerts of organ music performed by the best musicians from different countries peace.

Construction of the Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Moscow in 1894

It all started with the fact that by the end of the 19th century the number of Catholics in Moscow increased and numbered about 35 thousand people. There were two Catholic churches operating at that time: St. Louis of France, which on Malaya Lubyanka and the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul (currently closed) could not accommodate such a number of parishioners. The need has arisen to build a new, third Catholic church in Moscow.

Cathedral Immaculate Conception Blessed Virgin Mary

In 1894, organizational and preparatory work began for the construction of a new branch church for the parish of Sts. Apostles Peter and Paul. In 1897, the magazine "Builder" published a project for a new church in the neo-Gothic style, a project that won a competition announced by the Moscow Poles. In order for construction to begin, the consent of Tsar Nicholas II and the synod, the secular body overseeing the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church, was necessary.

As soon as the building permit was approved, the large Catholic community began collecting funds, mainly donations, for the construction of a new church, for which 10 hectares of land were purchased on Malaya Gruzinskaya Street. The money was collected mainly by Poles living throughout Russian Empire and abroad (50 thousand rubles in gold came from Warsaw), as well as many Catholics of other nationalities, including Russians. Ordinary workers, construction workers, and railway workers also donated.

Description of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Openwork fence

around the future cathedral, as well as the first design of the temple was developed by the architect L.F. Daukshoy, but the church was built according to the design of another architect. The final design of the temple was developed by the famous Moscow architect Foma Iosifovich Bogdanovich-Dvorzhetsky. The temple is a basilica, which in plan has the shape of an elongated Latin cross. This is the famous cruciform plan, in which the image of Christ on the cross is superimposed on the plan of a typical church. In this case, the head of Christ is the presbytery with the altar located in it, the torso and legs fill the nave, and the outstretched arms turn into a transept. Thus, we see the literal embodiment of the idea that the Church represents the Body of Christ.

Main eastern façade

This cathedral strongly resembles the famous Cathedral in Westminster (England). And the multifaceted dome topped with spiers was inspired by the cathedral in Milan (Italy).
According to the laws of Gothic architecture, a temple is not just a structure for prayer. Every detail here is symbolic, and knowledgeable person When he comes to the temple, he reads the architectural decoration and ornament of the cathedral like a book.

Here, for example, are the steps that lead to the portal (the main gate of the temple). There are exactly 11 of them, which means the 10 commandments and the last eleventh, as a symbol of Christ. And only by observing these 10 commandments, a person enters the kingdom of heaven, which in this temple is symbolized by a portal with carved doors. Above the doors you can see a gold sign in which 4 letters are recognizable: VMIC, which read as Virgo Maria Immaculate Conception, which translates as Virgin Mary Immaculately Conceived.

The church was built from 1901 to 1911

. The grand opening took place in December 1911. new church, although finishing work continued until 1917. According to some information, the spiers on the towers of the temple were erected only in 1923. A total of 300 thousand rubles in gold were spent on the construction of the temple, which is equivalent to approximately $7,400,000.

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary during and after the revolution

The October Revolution overthrew tsarism and with it rejected the church, both Orthodox and Catholic. Soviet Union was created as an atheistic state, the fight against religion along with the class struggle was main goal revolution. Stalin's terror reached its apogee in 1937 - the church on Malaya Gruzinskaya was closed, the last Polish priest, Fr. Michal Tsakul was shot by the NKVD. Thousands of priests and monks were killed in the camps.

On July 30, 1938, church property was plundered or destroyed, including the altar and organ. The façade was also damaged. Organizations located in the ruined temple rebuilt it inside: the temple was divided into 4 floors, disfiguring the interior of this valuable monument church architecture.

In the first days of the war between Germany and the USSR in June 1941, when German air raids on Moscow began, the turrets of the church were demolished, because they could serve as landmarks for German pilots. A sad sight was presented by a church with chopped off turrets, like stumps.

After the war, the situation did not change - the spire of the temple, which crowned the dome, was demolished and another section of the territory was taken away and attached to the house on Malaya Gruzinskaya Street. The temple housed workers' dormitories, vegetable stores, workshops and offices. The only functioning Catholic church at that time was the Church of Louis of France in the Diocese of Paris.

Transfer of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Catholics

The gradual destruction of the temple continued until the mid-70s. And so, in 1976, the Moscow authorities seemed to remember the existence of the church and decided to transfer it to the department of culture in order to convert it into an organ music hall. But this did not happen due to the reluctance to give up the premises of the temple to the organizations located in the building, of which there were about 15 on the 4 floors of the temple.

After 1989, the Polish House association and Moscow Catholics for the first time raised the question of transferring the Temple to its owners - Catholics and the Catholic Church. The temple is slowly beginning to be revived. With the permission of the Moscow authorities, on December 8, 1990, priest Tadeusz Pikus celebrated the first Holy Mass on the steps of the Temple. Several hundred people, despite the winter cold, prayed for the return of the Temple to them.

Despite the fact that the premises of the Temple have not yet been officially returned to its true owners, a group of Moscow Catholics established the parish of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in January 1990. The peculiarity of this parish is that it is very closely connected with the Catholic monastic order of the Selesians. This order was founded in the mid-19th century by Saint Giovanni Bosco, who decided to make the ministry of youth and catechesis the main goal of his life. And to this day this order exists, engaged in modern problems youth.

Liberation of the Temple for church needs

Since June 7, 1991, Holy Masses began to be celebrated every Sunday in the courtyard of the Temple. Since November 29, 1991, Salesian nuns have been serving in the Temple, conducting catechesis and teaching the basics of Christianity. At the same time, charitable activities began, in particular helping the sick and needy.

On February 1, 1992, Moscow Mayor Yu.M. Luzhkov signed a document on the gradual liberation of the Temple for church purposes (within up to 2 years). But it was not possible to evict the Mospetspromproekt Research Institute, which has occupied the Temple since 1956. On July 2, parishioners entered the Temple and independently vacated a small part of the premises. After negotiations with representatives of the City Hall, the reclaimed part of the temple remained with the parish.

On March 7 and 8, 1995, believers rose up for the second time to fight for the return of all other premises of the Temple. The parishioners realized that without decisive action on their part the situation was unlikely to change. March 7, after common prayer about the return of the Temple, they went up to the fourth floor and began to take out the junk stored there. At this time, other parishioners dismantled the wall on the first floor that separated the Parish from Mosspetspromproekt. On March 8, parishioners continued to vacate the Temple premises. However, the police and riot police intervened: people were expelled from the Temple, many were injured, a nun was severely beaten, and a priest and seminarian were arrested.

After these events, on May 9, 1995, Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz was forced to address an open letter to Russian President B.N. Yeltsin about the situation around the Temple. As a result, Moscow Mayor Yu.M. Luzhkov signed a decree on the transfer of Mosspetspromproekt to new premises and the transfer of the Temple to believers by the end of 1995.

And on February 2, the parish of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary received documents for indefinite use of the building.

Immediately after the return of the Temple to the Catholics, restoration work began, the bulk of which was undertaken by the archbishop, the rector, as well as Fr. Kazimir Shidelko, director of the Ioan Bosco Children's Shelter and many others. The completion of the restoration from September 1998 was led by Fr. Andrzej Steckiewicz.

Donations from charitable organizations

Thanks to donations charitable organizations Poland, Germany and Catholics from many other countries of the world, as well as through the prayers and selfless help of parishioners, the Temple regained its pristine beauty.

On December 12, 1999, the Vatican Secretary of State, Legate of Pope John Paul II, Cardinal Angelo Sodano solemnly consecrated the restored Temple, which has since become the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

New organ in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

In 2005, a new organ was installed in the cathedral, donated by the Lutheran Cathedral “Basler Munster” in the Swiss city of Basel. This organ from Kuhn is one of the largest organs in Russia (74 registers, 4 manuals, 5563 pipes) and allows for stylistically flawless performance of organ music from different eras.

On January 16, 2005, a solemn mass was held with the consecration of the cathedral organ under the presidency of Metropolitan Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, the inauguration of the organ and the opening of the First International Festival of Christian Music “Music of the Cathedrals of the World”, during which organists from the most famous churches in the world performed on the new organ.

The idea of composer Alfred Schnittke that any of the Gothic cathedrals is a certain model of the world concerns both Catholic and Protestant movements. Any of them must be understood as big city. After all, the construction of the temples itself provided for the accommodation of the entire population of the city. In other words, every temple must be huge. This problem was solved by an ingenious solution regarding the construction of vaults.

Catholic Cathedral Art

Each Catholic cathedral seemed much larger inside than outside. Another achievement in the construction of Gothic cathedrals is unity in architecture, interior, and decoration. But on the other hand, a Gothic cathedral always combines art different types and time.

In the Gothic style itself, such types of arts as sculpture, stained glass, decorative design in the form of wood, stone, bone carvings, and all this in musical accompaniment. Catholic is decorated with sculptural works and compositions from them, various types of ornaments, figures of real and fantastic animals. 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. Decoration of the interior space of the Catholic Cathedral - stained glass windows. The light pouring from them with iridescent shades and variety color range creates a feeling of the endless reality of the sky. Sometimes the total area of stained glass windows in the temple reached two and a half thousand square meters. Separately, you should pay attention to the music in the cathedral. Initially, music schools were formed in cathedrals. And these schools produced many famous organists. Their sounding works, combined with the light passing through the stained glass windows, create a feeling of unearthly reality, confirming that the cathedral is truly a prototype of the whole world.

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 settlement by the decision of Tsar Peter I at the beginning of the eighteenth century. But his fate was not long-term. Built with money from the Polish community in Milyutinsky Lane, it existed until October Revolution. Then the church was closed and rebuilt. Removing the dome and installing interfloor ceilings turned the temple building into an ordinary three-story house. Subsequently, they began to place various government agencies. Today there is a research institute there. It is difficult to recognize the once majestic church in this simple building. Only a plaque on the wall reminds us that there was a Roman Catholic cathedral here.

Second Cathedral of the city

The second Catholic Moscow Cathedral was the church of the settlers of Moscow - the French. Saint Louis. Built on Malaya Lubyanka at the end of the eighteenth century.

It was rebuilt many times, but is still in operation today. The modern building was built in the mid-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 with short interruptions there was always a church service. 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 Moscow cathedrals is the Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. Its construction took place 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 church premises survived the Patriotic War without much damage. Therefore, the premises were subsequently used for warehouses. And in 1990 the church was transferred to Catholics.

The need for discovery

In the mid-nineteenth century, the office of the Moscow province received a request for 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 prescribed to build the temple far from the central buildings of the city, as well as large Orthodox shrines. There should be no tower buildings or various sculptures above the temple. Sculptor Bogdanovich developed and approved the project. The Catholic cathedral accommodated five thousand believers and had external sculptural decorations.

History of the building

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 fencing and decoration. The finishing took a long time.

During the 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 premises of the temple. To achieve this, the internal volume of the room was radically changed. There are four floors. The ninetieth year of the twentieth century returned the Catholic cathedral in Moscow to the church. After a sixty-year break, the first service was served. Hundreds of believers listened to the service while standing on the steps. Only in 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 a worldwide 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 this cathedral became Westminster . The spire of the central tower honors 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 with the image. In the central hall there are benches in two sectors with a passage between them. Confession rooms are located to the side. 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. Under the windows there are wall bas-reliefs. On a certain height There are choirs for fifty singers. There is also an organ there. From a distance, the entire cathedral building resembles the shape of a cross. The architect's idea to display the church as the body of Christ is obvious. Other churches have a similar layout, and it is called cruciform. The altar is made of dark green marble.

On the left side of the temple there are massive bells. There are only five of them, from largest to smallest. The weight of bells starts from nine hundred kilograms with a tendency for the weight of subsequent bells to gradually decrease. The bells are driven electronically.

Cathedral organ music

The Third Catholic Cathedral in Moscow has an organ instrument, which has become the largest in the country. It can perform works of different types without any problems. historical eras. 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. Created by craftsmen in 1955. Transported to Moscow in parts and installed by craftsmen from the German company "Kaufbeuren" free of charge. The organ was consecrated in 2005.

Festivals and concerts

On Malaya Gruzinskaya street there is a Catholic Cathedral, like unique monument architecture, is also a concert hall in Moscow. Its walls are filled with music from festivals and concerts. The acoustics of the building create a special sound of sacred organ music. Here the heart of even the most callous person becomes softer.

Observing ancient European cultural traditions, the Catholic Cathedral gives concerts regularly and welcomes everyone who wants to enjoy sublime music. Here, all the vaults of the cathedral are filled with the sound of compositions by various musical geniuses from all over the world. A visit to the temple gives you the opportunity to hear modern jazz music performed by an organ at the same time as medieval music. Visitors are always invited large selection performances and concert programs. The whole family can go to a concert during the day, enjoy holiday festivals, evenings of sacred music and medieval mysteries. It is also important that all money for purchased tickets is used for repair and restoration work in the church.

Its real name is "Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary." But precisely by the title of the article, this cathedral is most often searched for in search services.
This church is the largest Catholic cathedral in Russia and one of two operating Catholic cathedrals in Moscow. It is very impressive with its appearance, but most residents of the city do not even know that there is something similar in Moscow. Personally, I learned about it several years ago, and saw it for the first time just the other day, and this was after 30 years of living in my hometown.

The construction of the cathedral began in 1901 and ended in 1911. It was consecrated on December 21, 1911. The construction of the cathedral was due a large number Catholics in Moscow at the beginning of the 20th century, at that time their community numbered about 35 thousand people, and the two other existing cathedrals at that time could no longer serve so many parishioners.
After the parishioners collected the necessary money, the construction project was agreed upon with the Moscow authorities and construction began on the largest branch of the Catholic Church in Russia. But already in 1919 the branch became a full-fledged parish.

The cathedral did not serve the parishioners for long; already in 1938 it was closed and looted. And later, Soviet authorities They organized a hostel there. But that was not the worst thing. During the great Patriotic War, the cathedral was partially destroyed by bombing. Several towers were lost and roofs collapsed. But this is not even the worst thing that could happen to him. Later, in 1956, the Mosspetspromproekt research institute came to the cathedral. Apparently, such talented designers worked on this special project that they completely changed the whole internal view cathedral Instead of one huge hall, 4 floors with flights of stairs were built, which completely destroyed the original interiors of the church. Surprisingly, this predatory organization sat there until 1996, and not only was no one watching the building, but the organization of the Mosspetspromproekt Research Institute was expelled only through scandalous trials, and if it were not for the intervention of Russian President Boris Yeltsin, it is not known how long the legal proceedings would have dragged on, but they have lasted since 1992.
This is what the Cathedral looked like in 1980; as you can see, there is not a single spire above the entrance:

from 1996 to 1999, global restoration work was carried out in the cathedral and on December 12 of the same year the cathedral was re-consecrated by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano.
Cathedral during restoration:

In 2011, the centenary of the cathedral was celebrated.
On at the moment The cathedral holds masses in many languages, most often in Russian, Polish and English. As well as performances and concerts by cultural figures. The schedule of concerts can be found on the official website of the cathedral http://www.catedra.ru

The architecture of the cathedral is a neo-Gothic style with many decorative elements. I suggest looking at the cathedral from different angles during the day and at night:
3) View of the cathedral from the north side during the day:

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7) View of the spiers of the main entrance, from the back side:

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10) North side at night:

11) Main entrance to the Cathedral:

12) The entrance is so beautiful that I took several different photos:

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15) The dome, with a light drum, majestically rises above the entire building:

16) On the back side, the cathedral has fewer windows and thus resembles an ancient knight's castle:

17) At night, the back is not illuminated at all:

18) But with a long shutter speed, you can accumulate enough light to see huge walls and a cross made of brick.

19) The cathedral’s windows are no less huge, or rather stained glass windows. Made entirely of mosaic glass:

20) Stained glass at night:

21) and from the inside:

I liked the inside of the church as much as the outside. A different style is already felt here, with massive columns and very high ceilings. By the way, this is the only church where I was allowed to take photographs inside without any problems.
22) View immediately after entering:

The central part of the cathedral is visually divided into three zones, the so-called naves, separated by columns. In the central part there are benches, and on the sides there are passages leading to prayer areas and the altar
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25) As I said above, all windows are made of mosaic glass:

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27) This photo captures the colors of night light passing through the dome's light drum.

28) Main cross with a sculpture of the crucified Jesus Christ:

The territory of the main Catholic Cathedral is not large, but very well maintained. During the day, children play here, and often leave toys and balls right there. And the next day they come and play with them again and no one touches these things. In the evening, young men and women from Catholic communities come here and rehearse various plays and productions. The entire territory is paved with paving stones and has several monuments:
29) monument "Good Shepherd":

30) Monument to the Virgin Mary:

31) And of course, the entire temple complex is taken under state protection. It is an extremely rare occurrence when an architectural monument is truly protected by the state and is in excellent condition, although I’m not sure that the state is to blame for this...

32) Final, twilight photograph of the south side of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

In the end, I would like to say that I recommend everyone to visit this place. A wonderful, hospitable place in the center of Moscow for all citizens and religions.
The cathedral will also be of interest to all architectural photographers. In photographic terms, the building is very difficult because of its geometry, where the laws of perspective do not play into the hands of the photographer, breaking and distorting the true geometry of the building. Photos come out either barrel-shaped in the case of panoramas or fish-eye shots, or like rockets tapering towards the top :) You have to spend a lot of time aligning the geometry in editors, but you still can’t get rid of all the distortions. You can, of course, move further away to slightly reduce the effect of the rocket, but you won’t move very far, it’s still a city. A Tilt-Shift lens would help a lot, this will probably be my next lens)

There are several Catholic churches in Moscow. The church on Malaya Gruzinskaya Street is perhaps the largest of them. The decision to build it was made in 1894. In those days, there were simply a huge number of Catholics living in Moscow. These were French, Poles, etc. (30 thousand people). The two Catholic churches (St. Louis and St. and Paul), which already existed in the capital in the 19th century, were simply not enough. The parishioners themselves collected money for the new church - both Muscovites and residents of other regions of Russia. Donations also came from abroad. For example, 50 thousand rubles were sent from Warsaw.

Construction of the church

Construction of the Roman Catholic Cathedral began at the beginning of the twentieth century. - in 1901. The project was developed by one of the most famous architects of the capital and the whole country - Bogdanovich-Dvorzhetsky. Thomas Iosifovich was a parishioner of the Church of St. Peter and Paul and taught painting, architecture and sculpture at the Moscow School. In order to build a new temple, believers had to apply for permission from Nicholas II and the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. 10 hectares of land were purchased for the cathedral. Its construction cost about three hundred thousand rubles in gold.

Church after the revolution

The opening of the new church took place in December 1911. Masses were held in the temple both before and after the revolution. In 1937, the church on Malaya Gruzinskaya was the first of all that operated in Moscow to be closed. After this, almost all church paraphernalia disappeared without a trace. Even the organ and altar were taken away. Beautiful facade was disfigured. Various secular organizations began their work in the church. A huge number of partitions were erected inside the temple and redevelopment was done, as a result of which the interior changed beyond recognition.

Church after the war

During World War II, a bomb hit the Roman Catholic Cathedral. However, the building did not suffer too much damage. In the first days of the war, the church turrets were dismantled, since they could serve as a good reference point for German pilots. As a result, the building completely lost its charm. After the war, the main spire of the church was also destroyed.

In 1976, they wanted to turn the temple into an organ music hall. However, these plans were not destined to come true. At that time, about 15 secular organizations operated within the walls of the church. Of course, no one wanted to move to a new place.

Until the 90s, the church was also used as a warehouse. The need for its return to believers began to be discussed in 1989. On December 8, 1990, a mass was celebrated on the steps of the church by priest Tadeusz Pikus. Despite the frost, a huge number of believers came to the church. They all prayed for the temple to be returned to them. The first official mass after 1937 was held in the cathedral on June 7, 1991.

Church on Malaya Gruzinskaya today

In 1992, Yu. M. Luzhkov signed a decision on the gradual transfer of the temple premises to Moscow Catholics. However, it was not possible for a long time to evict the Mosspetspromproekt Research Institute that occupies the temple. In 1995, believers independently dismantled the wall separating this secular institution from the parish and tried to empty the premises of office furniture. However, the intervention of riot police ruined the plans of the Catholics. The believers were expelled from the church. Some of them were even injured.

After this incident, Catholic Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz turned to Boris Yeltsin with a request to resolve the conflict between the parish and the research institute. As a result, Mosspetspromproekt was transferred to another building. By the end of 1995, the temple was completely handed over to believers. It was consecrated on December 12, 1999 by the legate of the Pope, the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano. By the end of the century, the cathedral was completely restored. The parishioners collected money for the reconstruction, as during the construction of the temple. The work was supervised by Andrzej Steckiewicz. As a result, the cathedral became a real decoration even for such a rich city as Moscow. The Church on Malaya Gruzinskaya looks great these days, you can see this from the photographs posted in the article.

In 2005, the Basler Munster Cathedral (Basel, Sweden) donated an organ to the church. This instrument allows you to perform absolutely flawlessly musical compositions of different eras.

Today, as in the past, masses are held in the temple in Armenian, English, Polish, French and other languages. Priests marry newlyweds, baptize newborns, escort last path deceased. As in all Catholic churches, there is an organ in the church.

Temple interior

Entering the Roman Catholic Cathedral on Malaya Gruzinskaya, a believer immediately sees a cross decorated with flowers hanging on the wall. There are no icons in the church, as in all Catholic churches. But there is an altar, near which masses are held. The interior of the church is incredibly beautiful. Stained glass windows - colored panels assembled from pieces of glass - give it a special charm. Darkness, high arches, flickering candles and organ music set the believers in the appropriate mood.

Architectural features

The building was built of red brick in a neo-Gothic style. This architectural direction can be considered to some extent traditional for Catholic cathedrals. It originated in France and very quickly spread throughout Europe. Main it distinctive feature are monumentality and the upward striving of all elements. Many Catholic cathedrals, including the church on Malaya Gruzinskaya, are decorated with a huge number of turrets with thin spiers. The main axis of the temple is located strictly on the North-South line. This is one of the differences between the church and the Orthodox Church, in which the main entrance is usually located in the west.

The temple on Malaya Gruzinskaya is a basilica built in the shape of a Latin cross. The eastern facade of the church is very similar to the facade of the famous Westminster Cathedral in Great Britain. There are exactly 11 steps leading to the main gate of the temple. This means the 10 commandments, plus the symbol of Christ himself. Only by observing the instructions of Jesus can one enter the kingdom of heaven.

What is the difference between Catholicism and Orthodoxy

Temples are built by both Catholics and Orthodox. The difference between these two directions of Christianity, however, is quite significant. But first, let's talk about their similarities. Both of these churches are distinguished by the presence of a rigid hierarchical structure, their own laws, as well as religious and cultural traditions. Of course, the main object of worship in both places is Jesus Christ, and also one God Father. Both Catholics and Orthodox Christians especially venerate the Virgin Mary and all the apostles. Both of these directions have their great martyrs and saints.

What's the difference? The division of Christianity into Catholicism and Orthodoxy occurred a very long time ago - in the 11th century. In 1054, the Patriarch of Constantinople representatives of the Pope, who answered him in kind. Since then, Catholics and Orthodox services they don't spend time together. The unification of these two directions of Christianity seems extremely problematic in our days. Too many changes to the original traditions have occurred over the centuries of schism.

Catholicism is, first of all, a holistic church. All its members and components are strictly subordinate to the Pope. does not differ in such monolithicity. In this regard, it is more democratic. There are Constantinople, Russian, Georgian, Serbian and others orthodox churches. There are also differences in religious canons. For example, Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit can come from both the Father and the Son. The Orthodox believe that only from the Father. There are also differences in the way churches treat their parishioners. In Catholicism, for example, divorce is strictly prohibited. The Orthodox Church sometimes allows them.

What other Catholic churches are operating in Moscow at the moment?

The church on Gruzinskaya is not the only one catholic church in the capital. There are others:

Church of St. Louis. This church was founded back in 1791. At the beginning of the 19th century (1827-1830), a new one was built in the style of a basilica on the site of the old building. The church was erected according to the design of the architects D.I. and A.O. Gilardi. After 1917, this church did not close, and masses continued to be celebrated there. In 1992, all buildings that belonged to the church before 1917, including the lyceum building, were returned to the believers.
and Pavel. This is another church in Moscow, founded a long time ago - in 1817. The new building was built in 1903-1913. designed by the architect V.F. Valkot. After the revolution, the temple was closed and various secular organizations were located there. Today this church has again been handed over to believers.
Anglican Church of St. Andrey. This church was founded in 1814. The current building was erected in 1882-1884. The temple project was developed by the Englishman R. K. Freeman. In 1920 the church was closed. At the moment it has been handed over to believers.

Churches of Moscow. Addresses

Catholic churches in the capital can be visited at the following addresses:

Roman Catholic Cathedral: st. Malaya Gruzinskaya, 27.
Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul: trans. Milyutinsky, 19, apt. 18.
Church of St. Ludovika: M. Lubyanka, 12.

The cathedral on Malaya Gruzinskaya Street in Moscow belongs to the Roman Catholic Church and is the main temple of this religious movement in the capital.

Since the middle of the 18th century, a movement arose in Europe that revived medieval Gothic architecture and was called “neo-Gothic”.

Rising upward, pointed lines, like palms folded in prayer, vaults of intersecting arcs, openwork structures, windows with multi-colored stained glass, high, but long and narrow halls - all these characteristic Gothic features are inherent in cathedral, erected at the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th century.

Description of the Catholic Cathedral

A sculpture depicting the crucifixion of Christ greets visitors at the entrance. The temple has three naves separated by columns. Confessional booths are located in the side naves. In the central one there are places for parishioners, separated by a passage. Under the windows you can see wall bas-reliefs depicting Way of the Cross Jesus.

The altar of the temple, like the pulpit, is made of dark green marble; the relics of saints are kept in it.

The choir loft is located above the rear of the central nave. On Sundays, services are accompanied by the Liturgical Choir, and on church holidays— professional Academic choir.

This cathedral houses the largest organ in Russia. It was made in Switzerland, has 4 manuals and 74 registers. The temple also has two digital organs.

Mass Schedule

Divine services in the cathedral are held in Russian, Polish, Latin and five other languages. Masses in Russian and Polish are held daily, in other languages - on certain days. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament takes place regularly; on Sundays, Holy Mass is celebrated with a sermon for children. Thematic events are also held, for example, masses for relief from various ailments or conversations about family and raising children.

Schedule of masses in the church on Malaya Gruzinskaya:

IN weekdays except Wednesdays, Holy Mass is held at 8.00, 9.00 (in Russian), 18.00 and 19.00 (in Polish).
On Saturdays - in the morning and at 17.30.
On Sunday, Holy Masses take place all day.

The cathedral also holds services in the form of the Roman rite: every third Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Divine Liturgy according to the Armenian rite - on Fridays and Sundays at 13.00 and 15.30.

Anyone can attend the service, regardless of their religion.. However, only baptized Catholics can confess and receive Holy Communion.

The activities of the church are not limited to masses and liturgies. In order to attract young people, various events are held here:

meetings, conversations, consultations;
catechism classes;
preparation for confirmation;
There is a children's and youth center named after John Bosco. Public cultural organization“The Art of Good,” located on the premises of the temple, works closely with clergy and believers. This foundation organizes and supervises concerts of sacred music, provides assistance to young talented musicians and orphanages.

Concerts in the Cathedral

This building is not only a monument of Gothic architecture, but also a popular concert hall. Concerts in the Catholic Cathedral on Malaya Gruzinskaya attract many fans classical music. The abundance of niches, vaults, and domes creates special acoustics, similar to stereophonic sound (in light modern technologies– 3D). It is not without reason that since the Middle Ages organs have been located exclusively in churches.

Organ and choral concerts are held in the church regularly. Here you can listen to classical organ music - Bach, Handel, Mozart, Vivaldi, etc.; choral works of great composers performed by magnificent choirs, symphonic music and even jazz performed by organ. The Art of Good Foundation maintains contacts with outstanding organists of the world and some of them give concerts and even conduct classes with young musicians. In addition, a project has been developed within which it is possible to take a course that includes training in polyphonic vocals in the style of Gregorian chant.

These concerts are extremely popular among lovers of serious music and their organizers have already drawn up a schedule for six months. The program poster offers, in addition to organ music performed by Russian and foreign organists, performances by ensembles with the most unusual combinations of instruments:

lute, lyre, cithara;
organ, oboe, flute;
organ and harp;
organ and saxophone;
organ, saxophone, duduk, flute, harp;
organ and trumpet;
organ and orchestra;
string quintet and guitar;
organ and vocals (solo and ensemble).

The concert hall also presents fairy tales “The Hobbit” and “The Little Prince” with sand animation.

Location, transportation

How to get to the cathedral on Malaya Gruzinskaya, how to get to this street - this question often arises among visitors, and sometimes among Muscovites. The address of the cathedral is Presnensky district, Malaya Gruzinskaya street, house 27/13.

To get to the temple for a service or concert, it is best to take the metro and then walk a little. The closest station is Ulitsa 1905 Goda.

The Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a true stronghold of spirituality and culture. It is visited by people of different faiths, and this interpenetration of cultures and religions blurs the lines between them and, undoubtedly, serves the cause of peace.

We attended an organ concert (organ + violin + oboe) - great! Amazing acoustics, very polite attitude. I advise everyone to admire the grandeur of the cathedral and listen to the concert.

Beautiful cathedral, wonderful concerts. Famous musicians often perform. An amazing atmosphere, the music seems to envelop you and rise to the vaults.

Gothic celebration! The cathedral is amazing, especially when illuminated. It looks like a magic castle, I can’t even believe that it’s real, the real Middle Ages.