Cathedral in the name of Archangel Michael

Cathedral in the name of Archangel Michael
Собор во имя Архистратига Михаила
Country	Belarus
Denomination	Orthodox
Previous denomination	Catholic
History
Dedication	St Michael
Dedicated	1865-09-05
Architecture
Style	Baroque
Years built	1745–1760 (1770)

The Archangel Michael's Cathedral of Mozyr is a Belarusian orthodox cathedral church of the located in Mozyr. It was built in the XVII century as a Catholic church of Franciscan monastery in late baroque style in the form of two-towered three-nave basilica. In 1864 it was given to the Eastern Orthodox Church. In 1937 – 1941 it became the NKVD prison. The cathedral was reopened in 1952, reconstructed in the 1980s and the 2010s.

XVII – XVIII Centuries[]

In 1615  [pl] were allowed by the king of Poland Sigismund III Vasa to establish a monastery in Mozyr. In 1618 local head Baltazar Stravinsky constructed a wooden church and some small houses for monks. In 1645 retired Colonel Stephan Lozko donated the Bernardinis lands in front of the  [ru] and started the construction of the stone monastery. Only three years later, in 1648, during the war between peasants and the Cossacks, the monastery was destroyed. In the mid-XVII century the wars almost wiped out Mozyr from the map. The town was rebuilt by the king John III Sobieski.^[1]

Thus the first mentions of the church refer to the XVI century. However, in the second half of the XVIII it was destroyed.^[1]

In 1745 Marszałek started the construction of a new stone Bernardini monastery that was planned to have a big church in its center. The exact period of construction is unknown. Most probably, the church was consecrated in the 1760s or in the 1770s. It was a three nave basilica with two towers, decorated in baroque style. The Oskierks were buried in the crypt. The monastery also had a library and a primary school.^[1]

XIX – XX Centuries[]

Bernardynski monastery and St Michael's church at Zamkavaja str. in Mozyr.  [pl], 1865

St Michael's church at Zamkavaja str. in Mozyr.  [pl], 1865

In 1832 the monastery was closed and all its buildings were given to the officials of the Mozyr region. Since 1847 it was used as a hospital.^[1]

After partitions of Poland Mozyr was in Russian Empire. After January Uprising (1863–64) quite all catholic monasteries and many churches in modern Belarus and Ukraine were closed, so in 1864 Mozyr franciscan church was transferred to the orthodox church. Count Mikhail Muravyov-Vilensky donated significant sums for the reconstruction, writer Ivan Aksakov assisted him in transferring the funds. The reconstructed church was consecrated on 5 September 1865, by the archbishop Michail of Mozyr.^[2]

From 1937 to 1941 the cathedral was turned into a prison of the NKVD of Polesie region. Some sources claim that more than 2000 death sentences were passed here by NKVD troikas.^[1][3] Bodies were buried in the basement, the bones covered in lime and skulls with gun-shot wounds were discovered during research in 1993.^[4]

Mozyr in 1908

In 1941 the church was reopened, in 1952 it was officially registered by the Soviet authorities and reconstructed. In the 1980s the famous artist  [ru] painted the frescoes in the cathedral.^[1]

Nowadays[]

Since 1992 the church is a part of the restored  [pl]. In the crypt a new sanctuary is established and dedicated to the innocent victims of the Stalinist repressions (Dekulakization, Cheka terror and Great Purge). The crypt keeps the remnants of the killed. It was consecrated in 2012.^[1]

In 2018 the facades and the roof of the church were reconstructed.

References[]

Sources[]

• Govorsky, K. (1865). Вестник Западной России. Историко-литературный журнал [Western Russia Messenger: Historic and Literary Magazine]. Vilnius: Romm Publishing House. p. 251.

Coordinates: 52°02′46″N 29°16′24″E / 52.04611°N 29.27333°E / 52.04611; 29.27333