Description of the attraction
The first Catholic church in Saratov was opened in 1805 on Nemetskaya Street (now Prospect Kirov). In 1878, on the site of the old wooden church, the construction of the stone cathedral of St. Clement, designed by the architect M. N. Grudistov, began. The construction of a large, two-tower cathedral with an organ, antiques and paintings was completed in 1880. The wealth and luxury that prevailed in the cathedral were described in the capital's newspapers: the altar is decorated with two large statues made in Paris, the ceiling was painted with nine paintings depicting scenes from the life of Christ, in the center of which is Bryullov's "Ascension of the Mother of God". Saratov was the center of the Catholic diocese until the revolution. In the late 1930s, the cathedral was converted into a children's cinema "Pioner" by demolishing the domes, barbarously rebuilding and hiding the facade under a concrete panel.
In the early nineties in Russia, there was a return of religious buildings to believers. Negotiations between the newly created Catholic community and the city administration did not lead to the return of the building. By allocating land for the construction of a new cathedral in the central region of Saratov and premises for a temporary chapel during the construction period, an agreement was reached.
In 1995, at the corner of Volzhskaya and Michurin streets, construction began on the Cathedral of the Apostles Peter and Paul. The architect of the unusual cathedral was A. E. Mushta and arch. developer V. L. Levinson. Faced with the hydrological difficulties of the site located near the Volga, construction lasted for almost five years, but in November 1998. the first mass was served in the unfinished cathedral.
On October 15, 200, the new Catholic Cathedral was consecrated by the Apostolic Nuncio and the relics of the patron saints of the church, Peter and Paul, were laid in the altar. Today, services are regularly held in the cathedral.
