The Church of Mary Magdalene in Minsk is an Orthodox parish, built in the middle of the XIX century. It is made in the style of classicism, which was a popular architectural trend of the time. About the church of Mary Magdalene in Minsk, its history, features and architecture will be described in this essay.
Story
The church of Mary Magdalene in Minsk was erected on the site of the old wooden St. George Church, which burned down in 1835. The ashtray was empty for a long time, because money was being collected, as they say, by the whole world for the construction of a new church. Nevertheless, the townspeople were able to collect more than five thousand rubles to begin construction. The work was led by the first priest of the church, Father Peter (Elenovsky).
At the end of October 1847, the erection of the temple building was completed, and it was consecrated in the name of St. Mary Magdalene. Priest Mikhail (Golubovich) became the head priest of the new church, an entry in the “Memorial Book of the Minsk Province”, released in 1910, was preserved about this.
Description
The Church of Mary Magdalene in Minsk has a cross-shaped truncated plan of the perimeter of the building. The main structure is crowned by two domes of different shapes. One of them has a low cylindrical drum and a bulbous top. The second is a slightly elongated faceted drum and a conical top.
The main entrance to the church is crowned by an arched opening, over which a mosaic of extraordinary beauty is laid out. It depicts St. Mary Magdalene on a golden background, the sun's rays falling on it create amazingly beautiful overflows of color.
On the sides of the building are evenly distributed windows that have the shape of an elongated arch. This form of openings was characteristic of most churches of that time and earlier.
Interior decoration
Inside the temple of Mary Magdalene in Minsk has arched architecture. The vaults of the church are supported by columns of a rectangular plan. In the central part there is a gilded chandelier, the lanterns of which are stylized as candles.
The walls and arches of the temple have frescoes depicting various saints and their deeds. Here you can see the Virgin and Child, Jesus Christ, St. Nicholas and St. Mary Magdalene. The number of paintings is amazing, at first it may seem that there is too much of it, however, looking closely, you can notice all the harmony of the image. In addition to the faces of the saints, the walls and arch are painted with floral ornaments that visually separates the various frescoes.
The church has a small carved iconostasis relatively small in size, fragmentarily covered with gilding. Thanks to the competent arrangement in relation to parts of the world and the correct shape of the windows inside the temple, an excellent illumination is created, which also emphasizes the magnificent painting.
Temple in the XX-XXI centuries
After the 1917 revolution, fewer parishioners began to come to the temple. Then material values, church utensils and jewelry were seized from the church. The temple was periodically closed, but it is reliably known that since 1937 Catholics have been praying in the church of Mary Magdalene with the permission of the bishop, since Catholic churches were all closed by then.
During the war, the church was active, but in 1949 the parish was again closed. Until 1990, the temple was reconstructed inside and out, and used it as an archive for documents and newsreels.
In 1990, after a long break, the church was returned to the parishioners, after which its restoration began. Over time, the temple began to take on the forms characteristic of it today, painstaking work was carried out to recreate it. At the beginning of the XXI century, the walls and vaults were finished painting, and in 2002 a cross with miraculous particles of the relics of God's saints was transferred here. Today the temple is completely restored, its beauty is returned to him, which delights many guests of the city and connoisseurs of architecture and art.
Schedule of services in the church of Mary Magdalene in Minsk: daily from 9-00 to 20-00 hours. Sunday from 7-00 to 20-00 hours. On the great holidays of Orthodox Christians, services can be held at other times. The schedule in the church of Mary Magdalene in Minsk can always be found at the temple or parishioners.
Arriving in this beautiful city with a rich history, visiting various sights of Minsk, it is worthwhile to devote a small amount of time to visit this church. This temple will amaze you with its splendor and at the same time the simplicity of lines and shapes that create this extraordinary architectural and picturesque harmony.