Description of the attraction
The Church of St. Joseph in Minsk was once part of a thriving Bernardine monastery that occupied an entire block. Even the streets bordering this quarter were called Bolshaya and Malaya Bernardinskaya.
Bernardine monks arrived in Minsk at the invitation of the Krasnoselsky head Andrei Konsovsky and his brother Jan in the middle of the 17th century. The brothers built their first wooden cells for the monks, as well as the first wooden church in 1630.
Over the next century, the Bernardine complex and the Church of St. Joseph were repeatedly burned and restored, gradually acquiring features of the Vilna Baroque architectural style.
In its modern form, the former Church of St. Joseph is a three-nave reckless basilica with a higher central nave. The central part of the facade is highlighted by high pilasters with capitals. The niches in the lateral parts of the facade, in which the sculptures of saints were once installed, have been preserved.
Once the Church of St. Joseph was one of the most beautiful churches in Minsk and a symbol of the city, along with the city hall and shopping arcades. From the inside, it was decorated with frescoes, rich decor, a majestic altar with many sculptures. In 1864, the Bernardine monastery in Minsk was abolished for the support of the Catholic clergy of the Polish national liberation uprising. The complex of buildings of the monastery, as well as the Church of St. Joseph were transferred to the treasury.
To this day, the building of the church belongs to the state. It houses an archive of scientific and technical documentation and an archive of literature and art of Belarus.
Catholics in Minsk are concerned about the statement of the Belarusian authorities that the building of the Church of St. Joseph could be converted into a hotel complex. Believers turn to the government and city authorities with requests to return their shrine to the believers, but so far the fate of the temple has not been finally decided.
