Brest. St. Nicholas Garrison Cathedral.

Here, where the ancient, thousand-year-old Brest began its history, in the center of the military memorial, on the territory of the heroic Brest Fortress, stands the long-suffering, but proud and majestic witness of wars and historical changes - the St. Nicholas Garrison Cathedral.

By the highest imperial order, the most famous Russian architect of the 19th century, academician David Grimm, drew up a project, according to which the foundation of the temple was laid in 1851. The temple was built in the Byzantine style with side naves, a large apse, a majestic dome crowned with the St. George's cross. Inside there were 8 columns that provided support for the huge dome.

One of the first rectors of the church was the famous teacher of the law of Brest, Archpriest Konstantin Makavelsky. In 1886, the shrine was visited by the Russian Emperor Alexander III together with his heir Tsarevich Nicholas II, the last emperor of the Russian Empire and Crown Prince Wilhelm.

The First World War rained the first kilograms of shells and bullets on the walls of the church. In 1915, the bells were evacuated to Russia. In 1921, after the signing of the Riga Peace Treaty with Poland, the cathedral became part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was rebuilt and turned into the Roman Catholic Church of St. Casimir according to the design of Polish architects. In September 1939, the church, together with Polish soldiers, took on the defense of the fortress. Evidence of this is the mark of an exploding bomb on the apse of the altar. From 1939 to 1941, the church housed the Red Army club.

In June 1941, the church building became an important point of defense, as it was located on the highest point of the citadel. During the invasion of German troops, being the last center of resistance of the defenders of the Brest Fortress, the cathedral was able to withstand bombing and shelling. However, its walls were riddled with bullets, shell fragments and bombs.

After the war, the temple stood in ruins, and only its basement was used to store the Gorpishchetorg's pickles. In 1994, the temple returned to the bosom of the Russian Orthodox Church, and its restoration began, thanks to donations from parishioners, as well as patrons, sponsors, city and regional authorities, the army and law enforcement agencies. In 2001, the temple received a one-ton silver bell as a gift from the Belarusian Railways. Since 2009, the temple complex has included a specially erected chapel-temple, in which the Sacraments of Baptism and Wedding are performed.

Today, the St. Nicholas Garrison Church again looks as it did during the time of Tsar Nicholas II. The church has two floors. The lower floor is dedicated to the martyr John the Warrior, and the upper floor is dedicated to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The church's most revered relics include particles of the relics of the great martyr Panteleimon, the venerable Job and Amphilochius of Pochaev, and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker himself.