Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Moscow)

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary
Location	Moscow, Moscow Region
Country	Russia
Denomination	Russian Catholic Church
History
Status	Cathedral
Founded	21 December 1911 (1911-12-21)
Events	Reconstructed by the Soviets for civil purposes
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Style	Gothic revival
Administration
Archdiocese	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Moscow
Parish	Peter and Paul parish
Clergy
Archbishop	Paolo Pezzi

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary (Russian: Собор Непорочного Зачатия Пресвятой Девы Марии Sobor Neporotschnovo Sachatiya Presvyatoj Devy Marii, in colloquial speech sometimes Костёл/Kostyol or Кирха/Kirkha – "the Catholic church") is a Neo-Gothic church in the centre of Moscow, and the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Moscow. It is one of only two Catholic churches in Moscow and is the largest in Russia.

The construction of the cathedral was proposed by the Czarist government in 1894. Groundbreaking was in 1899, with building commencing in 1901 and finishing ten years later. Based on a design by architect Tomasz Bohdanowicz-Dworzecki, it was influenced by the style of Westminster Abbey and Milan Cathedral. With the help of funds from Catholic parishes in Russia and its neighbouring states, the church was consecrated as a chapel for Moscow's Polish parish in 1911. In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution in 1917, the Menshevik government was overthrown by the Bolsheviks and Russia became part of the new Soviet Union. As the promotion of state atheism was part of communist ideology, the Soviet government ordered many churches closed, including this one in 1938. For a number of years during World War II, it faced the prospect of demolition, but was instead used for civil purposes, housing an institute. After the fall of communism, it became a church again in 1996 and was elevated to a cathedral in 2002. It was re-consecrated in 2005 after extensive renovations.

The three-aisled cathedral, built from red bricks, is home to regular church services in Russian, Polish, Korean, English, French, Spanish, Armenian and Latin as well as benefit concerts of organ and church music. The cathedral incorporates a library, the editorial office of the Russian Catholic magazine The Catholic Messenger – The Light of the Gospel (Russ.: Католический вестник — Свет Евангелия) as well as the local office for the Caritas charity. Its organ, the third since the cathedral's construction, was donated by the Basel Münster. It was consecrated in 2005 and is one of the largest in Russia. The cathedral is listed at as a heritage building in the Russian Federation, and is a protected monument.

History

First construction period

The planned design by architect Tomasz Bohdanowicz-Dworzecki

At the end of the 19th century, only two Catholic cathedrals existed in Moscow: the Saint Louis des Francais church for the French population and the St. Peter and Paul for the Polish parish. As the congregation for the Polish church had increased to about 30,000 members, the existing building was too small. Following a submission of a petition to the Governor-General of Moscow, the local council voted for a new church in 1894. The new church was permitted with conditions: "the building to be away from the city centre and not near important Orthodox sacred sites". In 16 May 1895, the parish bought a 10 hectare property at Malaja Grusinskaja street, which met the requirements. At that time, the property was located on the city outskirts and was surrounded by fields and vegetable gardens. Today's heavily downsized and tower block-surrounded church is located in the Central Administrative Okrug of the megacity, just beyond the Moscow Metro's Koltsevaya Line. The purchase of the property was funded by donations, and cost at that time 10,000 ruble in gold (corresponding roughly to US$7,000,000 at current rates). The purchase agreement and the full list of all donations are still preserved in the city archives of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Another condition imposed by the city was, "In the light of the two existing Roman Catholic churches, the future church shall be larger, with a cross on the gable, but without spires and exterior sculptures". The plans for the building were produced by a Russian architect of Polish descent, Tomasz Bohdanowicz-Dworzecki. The architect did not follow the latter condition, but his proposal was accepted anyway. The plans provided seating for up to 5000 worshippers. The groundbreaking occurred in 1899, but the actual construction work started in 1901 and lasted until 1911. The construction costed 290,000 ruble in gold (corresponds roughly to US$203,000,000). The majority of the money was given by members of the Polish parish. Other donations came from Catholic parishes all over Russia and from foreign countries, mainly Poland and Belarus.

The church was consecrated on 21 December 1911 as the "Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary" and had the status of a chapel in the Peter and Paul parish. The consecration received extensive coverage in the Russian and Polish press. The Moscow newspaper Russkoje Slowo, for example, wrote:

In the filthy, wretched Malaja Grusinskaja Street, forsaken by God and the city, there rose the wonderful, artistic solidity of the new Roman Catholic church, dedicated to the Holy Virgin Mary. Tremendous in magnitude and height, […] the newly-built chapel left a deep impression. […] [Every detail] look impressive and eminent: there was no slightest stylistic taint visible and palpable.

From 1911 to 1917, additional money was collected for the interior furnishings. Under communism, the furnishings remained until the 1930s, but were relatively sparse apart from the impressive main altar. Parts of the draft plan were abandoned: The floor was not constructed from marble as intended, but poured from plain concrete; outside there were no pinnacles on the façade. Sources vary on when the pinnacles were built: According to some, they were built in 1923, but partially destroyed during World War II and partially intentionally dismantled; according to others, they were not completed until the renovation of the cathedral in 1999.

Closure and conversions

The dilapidated church, around 1980

In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution in 1917, the Menshevik government was overthrown by the Bolsheviks and Russia became part of the new Soviet Union. As the promotion of state atheism was part of Marxist-Leninist communist ideology, the Soviet government ordered many churches closed. The Peter and Paul parish was formally dissolved by the communist government in 1929, and celebrating masses was forbidden. The church lost much of its surrounding gardens in 1935—a school was built there the following year—and the church was finally closed on 30 July 1938 (the St. Peter and Paul church had met the same fate nine days earlier). After its closure, the church was plundered; many items, including the main altar and the organ have been irretrievably lost. The church was used for several months as a storage place for vegetables, and was then reconstructed as a hostel. As part of the rebuilding, its interior was divided into four floors.

During the Battle of Moscow, the main tower's spire was removed to make it more difficult for the Luftwaffe to use it as a landmark. Shortly after the war ended in 1945, another part of the gardens was separated from the plot and used for an apartment building. A fire in 1956 caused the main tower dome to collapse and the church was again reconstructed. Existing tenants moved one at a time to new buildings, while members of the Mosspetspromproyekt (Rus. Мосспецпромпроект) research institute moved into the church. The research institute dealt primarily with project drawings for industrial facilities, but also designed the Olympic cauldron used at Lenin Stadium for the 1980 Summer Games.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the building's exterior became increasingly rundown. The view of the dilapidated church was depressing for many people, including for Russian bard Vladimir Vysotsky, who lived from 1975 until his death in 1980 in a house across the street. In the late 1970s, the city considered renovating the building, possibly to use it as a concert hall for organ music, or as a the general administration centre for culture. The project was abandoned due to resistance by the research institute.

Return to religious use

Prayers in the temporarily adapted church (around 1993).

During the rule of Mikhail Gorbachev, several policies were introduced, including glasnost (openness), which was important to develop religious freedom in the Soviet Union and to stop suppression and persecution towards religious groups. In 1989, a group of Catholics in Moscow, and the cultural association "The Polish House" (Rus. Дом Польский), asked that the building again be used for religious purposes. With the city's permission, the first Mass in the sacred precincts in 60 years was celebrated on the church stairs during the feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December 1990. The mass was headed by Polish priest Tadeusz Pikus, who became an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Warsaw from 1999.

In January 1990, a group of Catholics in Moscow formally founded the parish of the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary. On 13 April 1991 Pope John Paul II promulgated the encyclical Providi quae, establishing the "Apostolic administration for European Russia". Its apostolic administrator, Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, issued a decree for the reconstruction of the church on 21 April 1991. With city permission another Mass took place, again on the stairs, on the Polish National Day on 3 May. The constitution of the parish was officially recognized in 31 May by the department of justice of the city council. Meanwhile parts of church were subleased by Mosspetspromproyekt to various companies.

With the institute still in occupation of the building, beginning on 7 June 1991, masses were celebrated in the churchyard each Sunday. On 15 July 1991 Father Josef Sanewski, a member of the Salesians of Don Bosco, was appointed the new parish priest. Religious education had been given regularly under the direction of the Salesian Sisters since 29 November 1991. At the same time the first charities were founded for nursing and aid to the poor. The vice-mayor of Moscow, Yury Luzhkov, signed an order in 1 February 1992 ordering the institute to vacate and turn over possession to the church by 1994. Instead, parish members entered the building on 2 July 1992, and occupied the institute's workshop. Moscow City Council allowed the church to occupy the space, which was walled off from the remainder of the building. Masses took place there regularly from then on.

The building before the renovation (mid-90s). On the banner a message is written: "Return our church!" (Верните наш храм!).

The dividing wall was removed by parish members in 7 March 1995, while others started clearing the truss. The institute called the police, OMON, for help. On the next day, another conflict with the police occurred and several parish members, among them a nun, were injured. Others were arrested, including a priest and a seminarian, but were released the next day. After those events, the Apostolic Administrator, Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, wrote an open letter to Russian President Boris Yeltsin on 9. March 1995, requesting his intervention: "It seems that persecution of the church was history. Is that the case? I can't remember seeing a priest arrested, and I can't remember seeing a nun beaten up."

As a result, Senior Moscow Mayor Yuri Lushkov, a Yeltsin appointee, signed a decision for the removal of the institute. The decision was predated on 7 March, and arranged an evacuation of the building by the institute by 1996. At the same time, the institute wrote to Lushkov describing the earlier events from their perspective, and requested compensation for their loss of use of the building. In a meeting with Polish Ambassador Stanisław Ciosek in 15 March 1995, The acting mayor of Moscow, Alexander Musykantski, assured him that the return of the church would be complete by the end of the year.

On 19 March, a mass was celebrated in the reclaimed part of the church, under the direction of Papal Nuncio John Bukowski, who delivered Pope John Paul's blessing to the parish. In a new decision dated 2 November 1995, Lushkov ordered Mosspetspromproyekt to leave the building by the year end at the latest. When the decision was still not implemented, parish members entered the institute in 2 January 1996 and began the removal. Institute director Evgeny Afanasyev called the police once again, but they declined to intervene. Subsequently, the institute director asked the parish priest for a final extension the removal date by two weeks, and Mosspetspromproyekt moved out of the building in 13 January 1996. On 2 February 1996, the Archdiocese of Mother of God at Moscow obtained official permission to use the church indefinitely.

Renovation and reconsecration

The renovated cathedral at night. The exterior lighting was installed at the end of 2005.

In the early 1990s, plans were made by the Office for Monument Protection to renovate the church by 1997, the 850th anniversary of Moscow's foundation. The proposal was not implemented due to the occupancy dispute. In 1995, the city determined that the parish would be responsible for renovation costs. A commission was founded for the planned renovation, chaired by parish priest Josef Sanevski, Russian historian Stanislav Durnin, and Polish building contractor and politician Grzegorz Tuderek.

In the years from 1996 to 1999, the building was renovated with the help of sponsors EnergoPol, a Polish company, and Renovabis, a German association for Roman Catholic churches. The Russian government also provided funds towards the end of the work. Reconstruction took place initially under the direction of Polish companies PKZ and Budimex, who completely renovated the façade and roof. From September 1998, Father Andrzey Stetskevich, now vicar general of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Moscow, and Jan Tajchman, architect and restorer from Toruń, Poland, jointly oversaw the work; they had previously headed the renovation of the Catholic Assumption Cathedral in St. Petersburg. The interior fittings and the new altar were built by Ukrainian, Belarussian and Russian experts. Companies in Moscow managed all the marble work inside and outside the church. The church furniture was produced, under the direction of Vladimir Mukhin, by students from the St. Petersburg renovating school. Stained glass for the façade's rose window were made in Toruń, other windows were produced by Tolotschko, a Belarussian company from Hrodna.

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was ceremonially reopened on 12 December 1999 and was reconsecrated by the Secretary of State of the Roman Curia, Angelo Cardinal Sodano. On 11 February 2002, Pope John Paul II created the administration for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Moscow and named Apostolic Administrator Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz as archbishop and metropolitan. At the same time, the Church of the Immaculate Conception acquired the status of cathedral of the archdiocese. In March 2002, members of the cathedral participated in a rosary led by the Pope by video conference, in which Catholics in other European cities also joined. Since the reopening, many services take place daily in the cathedral. The main liturgical language for masses is Russian, but services are also held in Polish, English, French, Spanish, Korean, Latin and Armenian (based on an Armenian Rite). The cathedral is also used for organ and church music concerts take place regularly. Entry is normally free, except for selected concerts, for which admission is by ticket. A service in remembrance of those killed in the 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash was held on 12 April 2010.

Architecture and facilities

Close-up of the pinnacles. The pinnacle in the middle of the picture shows John Paul II's crest.

The cathedral, built in a Neo-Gothic style, is a three-aisled cross-shaped pseudobasilica. It was constructed entirely from red bricks, and was not rendered outside. The five-bay main aisle extends for 65 m, each with lateral arms 13 m long. The tower dome above the crossing is 30 m high. The façade is based on the design of Westminster Abbey, and the tower on that of the Milan Cathedral. Typically for old-style church buildings, each side aisle is strengthened by five buttresses, the ten together symbolizing the Ten Commandments. Crosses were built, as part of the renovation, at the top of each main tower; the central façade pinnacle and two other façade pinnacles feature the crests of John Paul II and archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz.

Eleven steps lead to the portal, the first ten symbolizing the Ten Commandments and the eleventh Jesus Christ. The portal symbolizes Heaven's gate, reached by obeying the Commandments and the teachings of Jesus. The portal is surrounded by columns and crowned by a wimperg, the gable spire of which is formed as a finial. The wimperg is decorated with a relief ornament, in the centre of which is a golden monogram "VMIC" ("Virgo Maria Immaculata Concepta", Latin for "Virgin Mary, conceived unblemished"). The original design by its architect provided a Star of David instead of the monogram, a reference to the Jewish faith of Virgin Mary. Above the wimperg is a three-metre bright rose window, built from a light-coloured stone.

Interior

The interior of the cathedral, viewed from the organ loft

There is a stone crucifix and a holy water font, on each side on the entry. High on the left side there is a brick from the Lateran Basilica, and on the right side an anniversary of the church medal from 2000. The crypt is accessed through the door in the right wall of the vestibule, then up to the organ matroneum and finally down through the door on the left wall. In the crypt, there is a oratory, as well as Catechism rooms and the office of the Caritas charity.

There are benches in the main aisle and confessionals in the side aisles. The side aisles were fitted out with benches until the closure of the church in 1938; the left side aisle reserved for women, the right for men, but nowadays it is permitted to sit without regard to gender. Both side aisles are separated from the main aisle by pillar files, consisting of four columns and two half columns. The columns and the roof are painted in white, and the walls in cream. The floor is constructed from light and dark grey marble slabs in a chequered pattern.

The 8.5-metre high windows are stained glass. Most have abstract designs; on those in front, there are crests of Apostolic Nuncios John Cardinal Burkowski and Francesco Cardinal Colasuonno. The windows in the transept are slightly larger and have a more complex design. On the window in the right lateral arm are depicted Saint Peter and Saint Andrew, who symbolize the Western and Eastern branches of the Catholic Church. On the window on the opposite side of the left lateral arm is depicted Pope John Paul II, who is gazing at the Marian apparition of Fátima. In the nave, under the windows, are 14 reliefs in total, which depict the 14 Stations of the Cross.

The entry to the vestry is located at the end of the right-sided side aisle next to the choir, at the end of the left side aisle is the Chapel for Mercy of God. The tabernacle is situated on the chapel's altar. The church's main altar is faced with a dark green marble, and houses relics of Saints Andrew, Zenon of Verona, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory of Nazianzus, Cosmas, Damian and Anastasia, as well as the Virgin Mary's scarf and a donation from the Diocese of Verona. The ambo, a projection coming out from the soleas, is on the right side of the altar, and is faced with the same marble. Behind the altar, on the apse's wall, there is a nine-metre high stone crucifix, on it is a three-metre high figure of Jesus. Plaster figures depicting the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist by architect Svyatoslav Sakhlebin are located on the left and the right side of the corbels. On the opposite side of the altar and above the cathedral's vestibule lies the organ loft, which had originally room for 50 choristers; a large part of it is occupied by the organ.

The organ and bells

The Khun Organ in 2007

The organ, with its 74 stops, four manuals and 5563 organ pipes, is one of the largest in Russia. It is the third organ since the church's establishment. The first was taken by the state in 1938. The second, an electronic organ, was installed as part of the renovations in 1999, and had 60 stops. It was donated by the American charity "Aid to the Church in Russia", headed by priest Marcel Guarnizo, who received consecration as a deacon during the renovation in 1997. Today's pipe organ was donated by the Swiss Reformed Basel Münster, where it was dismantled in 2002 and transferred to Moscow, except the stop Nr. 65 principal bass 32'. The missing stop was recreated in Moscow and erected in 2009; the original organ stop must stay in Switzerland, as the 1850 Münster belongs to the country's cultural heritage.

The organ was built in 1955 by company Orgelbau Kuhn, located in Männedorf. It was dismantled in Basel and reconstructed in Moscow by the Orgelbau Schmid company from Kaufbeuren, Switzerland. The pipes were transported wrapped in garments donated by the people of Basel, which were later distributed to Moscow's poor. The installation of the church was headed by Gerhard Schmid, who refused payment for his work. During the work, Schmid was killed in a fall from a scaffold on 9 September 2004; his son Gunnar finished the work.

The church bells

The organ was consecrated by Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Moscow on 16 January 2005, during a Mass, which was followed by the opening concert for the First International Festival for Organ Music. The one-month festival brought several organ concerts intothe cathedral. The closing concert was performed by chief organist James Edward Goettsche from St. Peter's Basilica.

The five church bells are located on the cathedral's roof behind arcades on the left side of the façade. They were donated by bishop Wiktor Skworc and poured by the Felczyński bell foundry in Przemyśl, Poland. The bells are electronically activated. The largest weighs 900 kg and bears the name "Mother of God of Fátima". The other bells are named, from the smallest to the biggest, "John Paul II.", "St. Jude" (named after the patron of archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz), "Anniversary-2000" and "St. Victor" (named after the patron saint of Bishop Wiktor Skworc).

See also

• List of churches in Moscow

Further reading

• O. N. Orobey; O. I. Lobov (2001). Stroiteli Rossii. XX vek: antologiya (Cтроители России. XX век: антология). O Master Verlag. ISBN 5-9207-0001-7. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
• P. V. Sytin (2008) [First published 1948]. Iz istorii moskovskikh ulits (Из истории московских улиц). Moscow: Exmo Verlag. ISBN 978-5-699-24988-6. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
• Glasnost in Jeopardy: Human Rights in the U.S.S.R. Helsinki Watch. March 1991. ISBN 978-0929692890. Retrieved 6 January 2012.

External links

• Official website of the cathedral with historic photographs and videos Template:Ru icon
• More than 200 photographs of the cathedral; inside and outside Template:Ru icon
• A twenty-minutes TV documentary about the church, from the series "Myths and Legends" at TV channel Stolitsa (Столица) Template:Ru icon