Catholic Churches

Catholic churches in Russia are located in different cities across the country. In some churches, priests of the Roman Catholic Church conduct divine services. In the Kaliningrad region, Catholic churches were closed by the Soviet government, and in the early 1990s they were transferred to the Orthodox Church. Museums have been created in some temples.

In this review on the online guide Geomerid you can read about the current or former Catholic churches in Russia:

1.    Basilica of St. Catherine in St. Petersburg
2.    Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary (Moscow)
3.    Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Samara)
4.    Church of the Most Holy Trinity (Tobolsk)
5.    Church of the Intercession of the Virgin (Tomsk)
6.    Church of Seraphim of Sarov (Svetlogorsk)
7.    Transfiguration Cathedral (Zelenogradsk)
8.    Dom Cathedral (Kaliningrad)
9.    Kazan Church (Yantarny)

Basilica of St. Catherine (St. Petersburg)

Basilica of St. Catherine in St. Petersburg is located on Nevsky Avenue, in the historical center of the city. The Catholic church on this site was founded in 1716, although the Baroque building that has survived to this day was built from 1738 to 1783. It is the largest Catholic church in Russia and one of the oldest. 

Basilica of St. Catherine is the only church in Russia which Pope Francis awarded the status of a Minor Basilica in 2013. This is a very honorable status, and in Russia only one church is called a Basilica. There are 5 Great Basilicas in Catholicism – all of them are located in Italy and about 1200 churches around the world have the status of a Minor Basilica. In total, there are several million Catholic churches in the world. 

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary (Moscow)

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary in Moscow is the largest Catholic church in Russia. It is built of red brick in the Northern Gothic style. The cathedral was founded in 1901, and services there began in 1911. Services are held in the cathedral in many languages, as well as organ music concerts.  At the end of the 19th century, two Catholic churches were located in Moscow, but they could not accommodate all parishioners. The Council of the Roman Catholic Church appealed to the Moscow governor with a request to build a large cathedral for 5000 people.

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary was built in compliance with all architectural canons of the Gothic style. The building is built in the form of a Latin cross with a long nave and side transepts. The walls of the nave are lightened by arcbutanes. Thanks to this, you can see traditional stained-glass windows for Catholic churches in the walls. Despite the absence of chimeras on the outer walls, the decor of the cathedral looks very impressive. 

Read more about Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary (Moscow)

Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Samara)

A Polish Roman Catholic church was built in the historical center of Samara in 1906. Its official name is the Church of Sacred Heart of Jesus, but it is better known as the Polish Roman Catholic church. In 1890 the catholic community of Samara bought out a lot of land near Saratovskaya Street (now Frunze street). At first a wooden church was built. 

The construction of the stone church, which was designed by the architect Foma Bogdanovich, began in 1902. It was consecrated in 1906. The Polish Roman Catholic church was built in the pronounced Gothic style. It has the shape of a cross with a transverse transept. And the facade is decorated by pinnacles or ornamental pointed Gothic towers. Their height is 47 meters. 

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Church of the Most Holy Trinity (Tobolsk)

Catholic church of the Holy Trinity is one of the most interesting sight of Tobolsk. In 1830 the Warsaw Uprising also known as the November Night was suppressed and about 18 thousand Poles and Lithuanians were exiled to Siberia. Some of them were kept at the Tobolsk prison castle and then continued to live in the town.

In 1848 it was decided to build a wooden Roman Catholic church for the Catholics of Tobolsk. It was erected in the Nizhny Posad, just near the side of the Alafeyevskaya Mountain where the Tobolsk Kremlin is located. According to the population census of 1897, 482 poles resided in Tobolsk. The church was consecrated by the bishop Yan Tseplyak in 1909. In 1923 the church was closed. In 1993 the building was returned to the Roman Catholic church. In 2004 the Germans installed an organ in the church and now the concerts of organ music are held there.

Read more about Church of the Most Holy Trinity (Tobolsk)

Church of the Intercession of the Virgin (Tomsk)

The Polish church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin of the Holy Rosary was built on the top of a hill near Voskresenskaya hill in 1833. You should visit it after the Tomsk ostrog. As Tomsk was a place of exile in the 19 century, after the Napoleonic Wars and especially after the Polish riots of 1830 and 1863 there appeared a lot of Catholics in the city. So, there arose the need in a Catholic church. And its construction was initiated by a Polish count Alexander Mashinsky, a citizen of France.

The Tomsk Catholic parish was the largest in Siberia even though it was included in the Novosibirsk Catholic diocese. The church had a rather difficult name, and since the Orthodox Church had no church feast it was also named in honor of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin.

Read more about Church of the Intercession of the Virgin (Tomsk)

Church of Seraphim of Sarov (Svetlogorsk)

The Orthodox Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov in Svetlogorsk, in the time of East Prussia, was a Lutheran Church. The Church was built in 1903 in the Eastern part of Rauschen. It is located on a hill in a small pine park. Until 1903, a large congregation of the Protestant Church met in the Church of St. Lorenz, which was built in Rauschen in the 16th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was decided to build a new Church for them with private donations.

Architects Wichmann and Otto Kukkuk built the Church in the neo-Gothic style with modern elements. The interior of the Church of Seraphim of Sarov was designed by the artist Hugo Goering at his own expense. After the war in 1945, the Church was turned over to the local school`s sports hall. In 1992, the Orthodox community asked the authorities to transfer the Church to them. The Church was consecrated in honor of St. Seraphim of Sarov. The altar of the Church of Seraphim of Sarov in Svetlogorsk was made with wood carvings.

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Transfiguration Cathedral (Zelenogradsk)

The Orthodox Transfiguration Cathedral of Zelenogradsk in the time of East Prussia was called the Church of Saint Adalbert. It was built in 1897 and has been completely preserved to this day. The Transfiguration Cathedral is built in the German late Gothic style of red brick. The height of the bell tower reaches 42 meters. Before the war, the Church was decorated with stained glass windows and paintings. It had an organ of the famous master Terlecki.

During the World War II, the Cathedral was not damaged. In the following years, it was used as a sports hall. In 1994, the Church was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. Restoration work took more than 10 years, and in 2007, it was consecrated as the Transfiguration Cathedral of Zelenogradsk. The interior of the Church has been restored, but in a rather simple way.

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Dom Cathedral (Kaliningrad)

Königsberg Dom Cathedral located on Kant Island, formerly Kneiphof, is the most famous tourist attraction in the city. The Museum of Immanuel Kant is located in the cathedral. There you will be told about the life and work of this great philosopher. A separate museum exposition is devoted to the history of Kneiphof Island. There you can also see a reconstruction of the Vallenrod Library.

The first cathedral was built in Königsberg in 1302. However, the new bishop of the Teutonic Order thought it was not big enough. The construction of a new cathedral began in 1333. It lasted nearly to the end of the century. The cathedral was largely finished and consecrated by 1380. But the cathedral tower was built only in 1553. Until 1519 it was a Catholic cathedral. In 16 the buildings of the University of Königsberg commonly known as the Albertina were erected on three sides of the cathedral and it became a university church. The Albertina was founded by Duke Albert of Prussia in 1544. 

Read more about Dom Cathedral (Kaliningrad)

Kazan Church (Yantarny)

Kazan Church in the village of Yantarny is located on Sovetskaya street. It used to be the Palmnicken Lutheran Church, founded in 1887, on the initiative of Maurice Becker. Next to the Church is a large Park, also named after Becker. The Kazan Church was built of massive boulders and shaped bricks, so it has a high architectural and artistic value. It was built as a small copy of the chapel of St. George in the Palace of Monbijou.

Imperial Palace of the Hohenzollern Monbijou located in the heart of Berlin. The Church had an organ and beautiful stained glass Windows. Two bells were installed inside the small tower. After the war, the Palmnicken Church, like other churches in the Kaliningrad region, was turned into a sport hall. In 1991, it was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church and consecrated As the Church of the Kazan icon of the Mother of God. Next to the Church, there is an amber tree – the trunk and branches are made of metal, and the leaves are made of amber.

Read more about Kazan Church (Yantarny)