Smolevichi. St. Valentine's Catholic church.

In the Belarusian city of Smolevichi, which is actively developing today as a satellite city of Minsk, there is a unique landmark - St. Valentine's Catholic church. This is the only church in the republic consecrated in honor of the patron saint of all lovers, and it is here that the country's only monument to this saint is installed.

From the community to the architectural dominant.

The history of the church began in April 1996, when the Catholic community was registered in Smolevichi. The first priest to minister to the faithful was Father Vladislav Zavalnyuk. The construction of the church, which was carried out from 2000 to 2008, is associated with the names of brother Anatoly Yaroshko and parish elder Dmitry Protko.

Interestingly, the site for the future church was chosen on the territory where the manor house was once located. However, the site was densely occupied by century-old oak trees, and large compensation was required for deforestation. The situation was resolved in an unexpected way: in the summer of 1997, a hurricane knocked down these trees, clearing the construction site without human intervention.

St. Valentine's Church, designed by architect Vladimir Danilenko, was originally conceived as a smaller copy of the Minsk Church of St. Roch on the Golden Hill. Today, this building is considered an example of modern architecture with elements of Neo-Gothic. The temple is assigned to the monastic order of the Capuchins.

Why Saint Valentine?

The choice of the patron saint for the community was no coincidence. In the 1990s, during the renaissance of church life, the society rediscovered the lives of saints. For believers, Saint Valentine is not just a character of a popular holiday, but a real historical figure of the third century, a Roman bishop and doctor who secretly married Christians and suffered for the faith in 270. He is revered as the patron saint of spouses and an assistant in family life, which was especially important during the growing number of divorces.

The monument that was expected.

Smolevichi Church is particularly famous for the monument to St. Valentine, which was opened on February 14, 2009. Interestingly, he appeared exactly one year after the installation of the first (and only other) monument to this saint in Moscow.

Yaroslav Filippovich, a graduate of the Academy of Arts, became the author of the sculpture. Unlike his Moscow counterpart, where the saint is depicted as a young man in a Roman toga, Smolevichi Valentin appears in the image of a wise bishop in vestments. The bronze figure is mounted on a huge six-ton boulder in a picturesque park among century-old lime trees and oaks. The saint's head is bowed, his eyes are closed, as if he is listening to prayers, and his hand is frozen in a blessing gesture.

Today, St. Valentine's Church is not only an architectural landmark of Smolevichi, but also a spiritual center where daily services are held, catechetical groups and a children's "Svetlitsa" work. And on February 14, the saint's memorial day, it is especially crowded here: the temple festival gathers both locals and guests, for whom this place has become a symbol of love and loyalty.