Minsk. St. John the Baptist Church.
Church
Belarus, Minsk region, Minsk, Plekhanova street, 28
Description
The Roman Catholic Parish of St. John the Baptist was established in 1991 in the Serebryanka neighborhood of Minsk. Initially, services were held in a private house, and later in the assembly hall of the local housing and communal services.
In the summer of 2000, the parish was allocated a plot at the intersection of Plekhanov Street and the Slepyanskaya canal. A symbolic cross was installed on the site, which had previously decorated the Minsk Cathedral church for some time.
In the period 2001-2002, a small chapel was built on this site, and in 2007, construction of a church began. This majestic temple, whose base reaches a height of 46 meters, is able to accommodate more than four hundred parishioners. It looks like the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and its architectural style combines Gothic features with motifs from the Old Testament.
Categories
Architectural monument
Comments
Reviews to the Place
1Yaroslav Sg
16.03.2025
Minsk. St. John the Baptist Church
John the Baptist, the baptist of Jesus and the immaculate prophet, is equally revered in all world religions. In the Muslim tradition, he is known as Yahya, and in Christian temples as Johann. Even Soviet scientists recognized that this church-historical figure really existed. Countless written testimonies attest to John's righteousness, temperance, and honesty. In the cult history, he remains the last harbinger of the coming of the Messiah and a respected preacher among Jews.
In 1998, the construction of the baptismal sanctuary in the name of the soothsayer Zachariah and Elizabeth the Righteous began. On July 17, 2001, the parish was allocated a plot of land for the construction of the main sanctuary, and on July 7, 2003, a capsule was laid in its foundation by the Patriarchal Exarch. The consecration of the baptismal shrine in the name of Zachariah and Elizabeth took place on July 7, 2010.
Although the project of the John the Baptist Church was approved in the late 1990s, the foundation began to be laid only in 2007. The building, equipped with a 46-meter-high spire, can accommodate more than 400 parishioners and is comparable in volume to the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The style of the religious building combines Gothic elements with modern architectural trends. The author of the project, Orthodox architect Alexei Yeremenko, is inspired by the harmony between these trends.
The importance of this religious site cannot be overestimated. In 2008, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State of the Vatican, visited the parish. In addition, the Church of St. John the Baptist became the first Catholic church built in Minsk after 1910.