St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Grodno

St. Francis Xavier Cathedral
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis Xavier
Святы Францішак Ксавэрыя сабор
A view of the cathedral A view of the cathedral
Location	Grodno
Country	Belarus
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Founded	1687
Consecrated	1705
Architecture
Status	Active
Functional status	Cathedral
Style	Baroque architecture
Administration
Diocese	Roman Catholic Diocese of Grodno
Clergy
Bishop(s)	Aleksander Kaszkiewicz

St. Francis Xavier Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Grodno, Belarus. Originally a Jesuit church, it became a cathedral in 1991, when the new diocese of Grodno was erected.

History

The construction of the church started in 1687. The completed building in Baroque style was consecrated in 1705 to St. Francis Xavier. The monastery was dissolved in 1773 and the church became a parish one. The church survived the second world war with no serious damage.

In 1960 it was officially closed for a public religious services (for 27 years). The communist authorities tried to convert the building into a museum or a concert hall. Despite this the people attended the church every Sunday for a common player, songs and rosary. The religious services were restored in 1987. In 1990 the church was granted the title of minor basilica, and a year later it became a cathedral for a diocese of Grodno.

File:Fxavier Cathgrodno 2014fc 720p.ogv

Internal view of the cathedral

Sources

• А.А. Ярашэвіч, В.Дз. Бажэнава. Гродзенскі кафедральны касцёл святога Францыска Ксаверыя — Мінск: Беларусь, 2005. (In Belarusian)
• History of S. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Grodno (text in Polish language)
• Cathedral of Grodno - Photos on Radzima.org website