Description of the attraction
The Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Mstislavl was built on the site of the burned down Bernardine church in 1870.
Until 1857, a church of Bernardine monks stood on this site. The Bernardine Church was built in 1727 by Ivan Gurko, the Vitebsk cornet. At the insistence of the monks of the Jesuit order, the ancient Afanasyevskaya church that stood here was transferred to the cemetery, and in its place in the center of Mstislavl a large stone church was built, next to which there were monastery premises.
There is a legend that says that the Bernardines chose such a location for the monastery and the church not by chance, and it was not at all by chance that they so persistently sought to move the Afanasievskaya church. Probably, under Mstislavl there are underground passages connecting the Carmelite, Jesuit and Bernardine churches. It is possible that the legend is true, because these buildings were separated by a very small distance.
The Bernardine Church was closed by order of the imperial authorities of Russia in 1831 after the unsuccessful Polish national liberation uprising. The rebels were actively supported by the Catholic clergy, inciting believers in their sermons against the Russian government. Therefore, it was decided to close all Catholic churches and monasteries in Russia. After the closure, the building of the church was handed over to the military.
In 1857, the building of the church and the monastery was handed over to Orthodox believers who wanted to revive the Afanasyevskaya church in its former place. But in 1858, a terrible fire broke out in the city, about 500 city buildings burned down. The former Bernardine church was also seriously damaged.
In 1870, a wide celebration of the anniversary of the birth of the Most Serene Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky was planned in Russia. On this significant occasion, the former Bernardine church was rebuilt into the Church of Alexander Nevsky.
Nowadays, the Alexander Nevsky Church has been restored. Now it has become a cathedral. Orthodox shrines are kept in the cathedral: the icon of Alexander Nevsky with particles of the relics of this saint, the icon of the Iverskaya Mother of God, which was consecrated in Moscow during the coronation of Nicholas II.
