From the history of the Catholic Church in Smolensk
The first Catholic church was built by German merchants in the second half of the 12th century and existed until the end of the 16th century. The purpose of the temple was to serve the spiritual needs of merchants, as the city was located at the crossroads of trade routes. The first mention of the church in historical documents appears in a text of an agreement made between Smolensk, Riga, and Gotland in 1229. The document refers to a “Latin temple” in Smolensk, which is called “the German church” in another part of the agreement.
Religious Orders
In the early 17th century (July 7, 1611), after the capture of Smolensk by King Sigismund III Vasa, religious orders began their activities in the city. One of the first was the Jesuit Order. A small house was built for the monks, and they were given a church, which was remodeled into a modest but beautiful temple. At that time, to strengthen the fortress city, settlers were brought from Poland through various privileges. During tragic periods for the city, the Jesuit fathers saved the local population from hunger and cold, but above all, they shaped their minds. In 1623, a royal college was established in Smolensk, which later developed thanks to donations from the nobility and lasted until 1654. Philosophy, mathematics, grammar, ethics, and rhetoric were taught at this college. According to historical documents, the residents of Smolensk willingly entrusted their sons to the care of the monks to gain an education.
Later, Dominicans and Franciscans—“Bernardines” were brought to Smolensk. The first Bernardine monastery was established in 1626 as a reward for the good fulfillment of pastoral duties in the army of King Sigismund III, where the monks served as military chaplains. The monastery and the church of St. Anthony were located within the defensive walls, while outside, the monks received land on which a second monastery was built under the invocation of Our Lady of Angels.
Establishment of the Smolensk Diocese
On September 1, 1636, by papal decree, the Smolensk Diocese was established. The organizational matters related to the existence and functioning of the Latin diocese in Smolensk dragged on for twenty-five years. Such a long period of establishing the diocese can be explained by the difficult situation of Sigismund III. After capturing the city, the main goal was to rebuild the defensive walls and the city itself. The slow process of establishing religious orders in Smolensk and building new temples also did not favor the rapid organization of the diocese. The diocese’s income is estimated today at four thousand florins per year, which allowed for the maintenance of about seventy people.
In 1637, with the participation of a large crowd of faithful led by Bishop Piotr Parczewski, the first service was held. The newly established diocese was not large but relatively numerous in believers. The bishop managed to organize about ten parishes in the initial period. Documents from this time mention parishes in Dorogobuzh, Krasnoye, and Papova Gora. During this period, there were three equivalent cathedrals in Smolensk: Orthodox, Catholic, and Greek-Catholic.
In 1654, Russia demanded the return of lands that were under the rule of the Polish-Lithuanian state. After the city was captured by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the Poles received an ultimatum: either leave for Poland or accept citizenship and Orthodox religion while retaining their property and privileges.
In Smolensk, the reconsecration of the church used by the Uniates took place. The city, on the other hand, became a fortress securing Russia against “unwanted penetration of Catholicism.”
From this period (the second half of the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century), no historical evidence has been found regarding the existence of Catholic temples in Smolensk. At the same time, it is known that in 1678, the tsar guaranteed the remaining Catholics in the city the tolerance of services conducted in homes and the freedom to visit temples abroad.
The Catholic population of the Smolensk land consisted of descendants of Polish settlers who came here during the time of Sigismund III; however, over time, there was an assimilation of the Polish population. In the early period, the Smolensk nobility could freely invite priests from Poland to their homes, and children could freely study in Poland and then return to Russia. This continued until the edict issued in 1728, when the rights of the nobility were restricted, and their children could no longer study abroad. The possibility of contact between Catholic believers and pastors was also limited. In 1735, an edict from the Russian government was announced, guaranteeing freedom of worship for all denominations in Russia, emphasizing that “if Russian subjects lean towards another faith, they will not be punished and will be in danger.”
Church of Our Lady of Angels
As a result of the announcement of the 1735 edict, the Catholic Church in Smolensk could come to life again. The years 1735-1748 were a time of establishing church structures in the city and reviving worship. The initial pastoral work was associated with the activities of the Franciscans—Observants. In the early days of their activity, they served the merchants arriving in the area. Later, they conducted pastoral work in the Catholic parish and served in a small church that was located on the site of the present church. During the military actions in 1812, the building was destroyed. A year later, in 1813, the church was rebuilt. The designer was the architect of the province. This church existed until 1838, when, with the permission of the government and Archbishop Metropolitan Pawlowski, construction of a new stone church dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary began thanks to the donations of parishioners.
Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
This church was built within a year. The elevation on which it was erected is a large grave. In 1812, when Napoleon’s army occupied Smolensk, thousands of French soldiers died here at the walls of the Kremlin. Their bodies were laid in a large mass grave, which became the basis for the elevation on which the church still stands today.
The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in the style of Russian Classicism. A detailed description of it has been preserved, published in the “Illustrated Weekly” from 1870. The weekly published photographs of the church along with the description: “The church is rich in decorations, everything is a gift from the parishioners. At the same time, one feels the care for order and symmetry—everything gives a good impression. At present, the church is maintained by Pastor Denisiewicz… The garden and cemetery are under the care of Father Masalski and are one of the most beautiful places in Smolensk… We have seen many churches and cemeteries, but nowhere have we seen such order as in Smolensk.”
Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
In the early 1990s, the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, due to the immense growth of the parish and the continuously increasing number of parishioners, could not fulfill its tasks. The need arose to build a new, more spacious church. In his request for the reconstruction of the church, the then-pastor Denisiewicz stated: “According to the census, there are 3,015 Catholics of both sexes in the entire parish, and 956 in the city itself; this number has recently increased due to Lithuanians and Latvians, as well as the arrival of troops, among whom there are more than 1,500 Catholics.”
The newspaper “Smolensky Vjestnik” on June 8, 1894, writes: “On June 5, the pastor of the Smolensk Roman Catholic Church, Denisiewicz, during a solemn liturgy in the presence of the gathered clergy, consecrated the site for the new church being built.”
According to data from the same “Vjestnik,” on October 3, 1896, the church was completed: “on the outside and partially inside. It contains 5 altars: the main one is already ready, noteworthy are the windows with colored glass so arranged that they depict the icon of Jesus, the Mother of God, and saints… The church is designed for 6,000 parishioners.”
On October 13, 1896, the first service was held in the new temple. On June 29, 1898, on the day of the Apostles Peter and Paul, the church was consecrated by the Metropolitan of Mogilev, Simon Martin Kozłowski.
The project, executed in the neo-Gothic style, was authored by Michał Miejszer. After his sudden death, the work was continued by his son Michał Miejszer Jr., and eventually, due to the death of this architect as well, the work was continued under the direction of the provincial architect Lyszczyncki.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the parish had 9,000 believers. The parish owned about 8 hectares of land and many properties. Three orphanages, two homes for the elderly (for men and women), and workshops where youth could learn crafts operated under the parish. Since 1898, the Smolensk church has had a “Charity Society.” Assistance to those in need included: provision of clothing, food, housing, medical care, help in finding work, etc. In the orphanages, nuns from the congregation of Father Honorat Koźmiński, the Daughters of the Most Pure Heart of Mary, worked. One of the main sponsors of the charitable activities organized by the parish was the noble family Komorowski.
Times of Persecution
In December 1917, the Smolensk deanery was established, which included parishes from the Smolensk province. The dean was Father Antoni Około-Kułak. In 1918, all churches, including the Catholic church, had their parish registers confiscated. The situation of the Catholic Church worsened with the conflict between Poland and the USSR. In the summer of 1921, with the onset of famine, the confiscation of church properties began. All gold and silver items—gifts from parishioners—were taken from the church. Church buildings had been seized earlier. The orphanage buildings were taken, and the pastor and vicar were expelled from the rectory, where a workshop producing brushes was set up. Part of the house was allocated for residential quarters. In 1926, the church was placed under the protection of the provincial museum.
Initially, the authorities did not hinder Catholics in their worship. However, in 1936, Pastor Ignacy Zołnarowicz was arrested. Catholics, along with the loss of their pastors, lost the opportunity to participate in the liturgy. From 1937, services were banned. For “technical reasons,” registration was denied to priests. However, throughout these years, the parish council did not cease its activities, and many parishioners paid for their courage with their lives. In 1937-1938, many Catholic activists were repressed and later executed. By the end of 1939, the Catholic parish no longer existed. On January 14, 1940, by a decision of the Smolensk Provincial Council, the church was closed, and the building was handed over to the NKVD archives.
Revival of the Parish
The parish revived in November 1991 when it was registered with the provincial office. The first Catholic priest who regularly visited Smolensk was Father Zygmunt Chodosowski from Mogilev, who held services in the homes of parishioners. In the spring of 1992, services were held in a small cemetery chapel and the tomb of the Komorowski family on the second floor of that chapel, where initially the Orionist Sisters lived (later the pastor of the parish resided there for a long seven years). For several months, Sunday Masses were celebrated by priests from Mogilev: Władysław Blin, fulfilling the duties of pastor, and Stanisław Hodun. They traveled to the parish for Sundays. Within six months, the parishioners received a small wooden house, which housed a funeral home—in which Masses were celebrated until November 1999.
In June 1992, the first permanent pastor of the parish of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary was Father Jacek Kuczmik OFM, who has been leading the parish to this day. His presence continues the Franciscan tradition in Smolensk. Since the beginning of its existence—until the present—the parish has actively employed the Orionist Sisters of Blessed Luigi Orione. They provide assistance to those in need, care for the sick and homeless, and also conduct religious lessons. The sisters who worked in the parish included: Daniela Gargula and Estera Jasińska (1992-95), Angelika Dereń (1992-98), Bernadeta Swierczyńska (1995-99), Małgorzata Strzelecka (1995-96), Adriana Nowak and Dolores Kochanowska (since 1998).
For nine years, the parish existed in close proximity to the funeral home. All efforts of the parishioners to reclaim the parish property were unsuccessful, as the funeral home continued its operations on the parish territory. However, in 1997, the City Hall of Smolensk transferred a nearly completely destroyed building of the Priests’ House (the former monastery of the Franciscans-Bernardines), built in the 19th century. A reconstruction project for the house was also approved, and within two years, practically from the foundations, while preserving fragments of the walls (due to the historical nature of the object), a parish house and a parish chapel were built. In the parish house, in addition to the residential complex, there is a large library, an office, and catechetical rooms. Charitable and cultural actions are carried out in the building. The Apostolic Administrator for Latin rite Catholics, Bishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, solemnly consecrated the house and chapel on November 28, 1999.
In the deteriorating church building, to this day, the provincial archive is housed. Unique archival documents are being lost in poor conditions, and the building itself is in a dramatic state: trees are growing on the roof, bricks are falling from the walls, and the towers are crumbling. For many years, parishioners have approached all competent institutions (from municipal to governmental and presidential) with requests for the return of the church, arguing that the parish wishes to renovate the building and use it as a place of worship. The number of all possible requests has exceeded 70. Some of them have gone unanswered. Those that received a response remained only in the realm of promises to transfer the church, sometimes imposing conditions such as: the construction of a new archive meeting European standards.
However, the parishioners do not lose hope that one of the most beautiful buildings in Smolensk—the Catholic church—will be saved from destruction.
At present, the parish has about 400 parishioners of many nationalities: Poles (including immigrants from Kazakhstan), Belarusians, Russians, Germans, Lithuanians, and Assyrians. Some come from other areas of the Smolensk province, where there were once parishes. One could point to the village of Zykulino (15 km from Smolensk). In the territory of the Smolensk region, church buildings have been preserved in Roslavl, Shumyachi, and Veliz.