Away from the historical center Vitebsk there is an interesting attraction - Church of Saint Barbara. The temple was originally made in Baroque architecture, and then thoroughly rebuilt in the Neo-Romanesque style. Church in Vitebsk dated 1785. True, the appearance that can be seen today is more likely to refer to 1884-85.
At the end of the 19th century, during the reconstruction of the temple, a stone fence and a gate were erected. The church is a basilica with three naves, two tower tiers of red brick.
In Soviet times, the church suffered a lot. Since 1935, the temple has been closed, and a warehouse was placed within the walls of the building. During the Second World War, the Vitebsk church was significantly destroyed, the towers were damaged. Walking around the area, you can see traces of bullets.
To the right of the entrance to the church is a small chapel of the Holy Cross. It was built in 1800 (completely rebuilt in 1990). An old Catholic cemetery has also been preserved here; many burials date back to the beginning of the 19th century.
After the end of the war, Church of Saint Barbara, was abandoned for more than 40 years and continued to collapse. And just before the collapse of the USSR, there was a strange idea to rebuild the temple into a concert hall. This idea was not crowned with success and in 1993 the Vitebsk church was returned to the Catholics of the city. Until 2011, the temple was a cathedral.
The latest reconstruction of the church added features of neo-gothic architecture to it, while retaining the neo-romanesque style.
The church is located in Vitebsk, on Leningradskaya street 27 (across the street from the Polotsk market).
What else to see in the city? Take a look at the town hall and the central cathedral, visit the old part of Vitebsk. Other sights of Belarus on the map.
