A.P.Dobronovskaya
The leading expert of committee on archives affairs of
Krasnoyarsk region administration,
Senior teacher of Krasnoyarsk State Pedagogical University
Cult buildings of Krasnoyarsk made a system of sacral places in territory of the city for a long centuries. They were points where were focused world outlook and aesthetic representations of people. Silhouettes of cult buildings were read as an attribute of ethnic and faith heterogeneity of the population. Areas of distribution were isolated in city on these silhouettes of this or that faith. Historically, orthodox, old believe, Catholic and Lutheran temples, Muslim mosque, Judaic synagogue, the Baptist prayful house were represented in the city.
During different epoch monuments of cult architecture in local community had not identical semantic meanings. During the Soviet period since 1929 up to the middle of 1960 years there was a loss of these valuable functions and alongside with actually divine parish and architectural meanings of pre-revolutionary period. The status of art works has been returned to temples only in second half 1960th years, and reinnovation of temples semiotics value and prayful houses started only from the end of 1980th years. All these processes were closely connected with the state and local policy of authorities in various time intervals.
In this article describes the history of construction and existence of buildings of a Krasnoyarsk Catholic temple. Similarly to the majority of Christian faiths, the Catholic church always allocated the important place to a cult which has been called to help everyone believing in their spiritual perfection. The Catholic Church gave and gives a special meaning to sacraments, recognizing that through cult actions Church can transfer believers invisible God’s good fortune.
The basic place of Catholic divine parish traditionally was the temple: it could be a cathedral, parochial or monastic church, and also a small chapel. In Russia and Siberia where the Catholicism during former times was distributed basically among Polish immigrants, for a designation of a cult building became current Polish word "Kostel".
Krasnoyarsk Catholic parish was founded according to an order of the Mogilevskya archidiocese manager ¹ 2016 from August, 1, 1836. The structure of parish included the Yenisei province with the territory of 4480167 versts. However within 21 years believers had no church. Only in 1857 due to donations of parishioners and diligence of one monk, the wooden temple has been constructed on the stone base of seven sazhens in depth and four and a half on a facade which could contain no more than 300 believers in Krasnoyarsk. It have consecrated in the name of God’s Foresight. The external side of the building was covered with iron, plastered and bleached by lime; inside it was painted by a white paint.
There were three thrones in the church: in the name of Jesus Christ's Crucifixion. Sacred Deva Maria and Sacred Antoniy Paduanskiy. On a ceiling it was possible to see images of four evangelists; on walls - icons in gold frames with images of apostles. There were three altars, covered with painting, on choruses was established organ "Melodikon". There was a significant amount of church robing and sacred vessels in a vestery.
Soon there was built the belltower and bells were hung up. There was the tradition to expose St. Secrets in demonstrations on solemn and local holidays, and religious processions. The building supported by parishioners, but mostly with a help of curator. Later began removal of the ground at priors Puken and Skobejko. It has been received about 77 desytin.
By the end of XIX century the building of a temple was decayed. In 1893 civil engineer Hudzinskiy revelted an extreme decay of all parts after survey of it - walls, beams, floors. Walls, for example, was enclosed around with a wattle fence and covered from above greasing from clay and a wool. The commission found out that a wattle fence and walls was decayed, and were spongy weight. But there still was a question about construction of a new church because of lack of money resources.
In 1897 a special commission with Catholic priest V. Kaminsky and Yenisei provincial architect K.I. Paviov has recognized that it is better to build a new stone temple than to repair old wooden. Provincial architect Pavlov has made the project after which began a long bureaucratic procedure for some years of his statement and reception of the sanction to construction. For this time in parish some priests were replaced. On June, 11, 1903 a priest Leon Svyatopolk-Mirskiy has been appointed as a curator of the Krasnoyarsk temple "
It was originally planned to build a new temple on a place of old, in the Blagoveshchensk street. It was supposed that all construction will cost 60 thousand roubles. 10 thousand roubles the Yenisei governor planned to receive from the government for poverty of the Catholic population consisting of immigrants, fine dealers and serving various establishments. However it was necessary to collect money among parishioners. The old place appeared not so convenient, and the temple of the former sizes could not contain all interested persons. For example, in 1902, under data of parochial priest, gathered more than one and a half thousand persons for holidays in church, and about 200-300 on Sundays. In the beginning of 1905 the prior of a temple Svyatopolk-Mirskiy has addressed to Minister of Internal Affairs with the petition for the sanction to get other site of the ground on Bataliony lane (nowadays a lane of Decembrists) at E.P.Kuznetsova's hereditary Honourable citizen. The sanction was received, and in March, 1905 parishioners have bought this site with the area of 711 sq. sazhens for 4914 roubles. The new site allowed to build larger and convenient temple, than already designed. That’s why it was decided to make the new project of a temple building. For this purpose was invited the Krasnoyarsk architect of the Polish origin Vladimir Aleksandrovich Sokolovsky (1874-1959).
The new project was ready and authorized in July, 4, 1908. And in the same year began construction of the new temple. By 1910 the whole building was constructed and consecrated by Svyatopolk-Mirskiy. Completely civil works was completed by autumn of 1911. The New Krasnoyarsk temple was consecrated in the name of God’s Transformation, and it has three altars. The patron of church have selected sacred Stanislav, he was a bishop and a martyr.
The socle and porch was made from cutting stone. Walls, tower and a ceiling was from brick, a roof was from iron, a floor was wooden. Two doors led to a premise of a temple and four doors to sacristies. Four big windows and nine middle sized shined a building. It was heated by two iron furnaces.
The altars of tree were "simply" made. Walls and a ceiling inside were painted by water paints. There were two harmoniums, two lusters with electric candles. There was one bench with a red cloth for parishioners and also there were eight benches made of wood. There were three wooden medium-sized crosses with the iron crucifixion, two of a "white" material and four of metal.
In consequence, the building of Catholic church with «the house of priest» was erected in historical city centre as a nucleus of a small architectural - historical zone of building in a quarter between today's Gorkiy and Dicembrists, Marksa and Bograda streets.
The construction of the temple was adjusted both by national and confession traditions, and also by legislative acts. Numerous historical-documentary materials about a construction and existence of Krasnoyarsk Catholic temples are convincingly testify that ideas of erection of new temples were shown as public requirement. Public means as donation, have transformed the construction of a temple into the important social action at absence of the contribution of public funds. The temple was constructed on donations. Fund raising on construction of church was started in 1904 and passed in many western areas of the country and on all Yenisei province. By July, 1, 1906 was collected 8865 roubles 13 copecks. Surnames of the largest altars were kept: Voitsehovsky, Sangushko, Zaletskay, Helmitskiy, Stamirovskiy, Monchinsky, Valantinas, Bader, Danilov, Kornakov. There were endow about 160 roubles by two wills Ìihalevich and Grishkevich. The gathering of money resources was prolonged to construction of a temple till 1908 and carried out on all arch eparchy of Magilevskiy. However even after that necessary sum was not collected. Therefore the ground area bought from E.P.Kuznetsova was incorporated. The loan has made 7 thousand roubles which were necessary for completion of a temple.
Except for sacral, the cult building before revolution has also historical and cultural sense that was shown in formation of ideological and cultural space of the place. The temple satisfied spiritual needs of people, and was the center of education. There were confession school, library. There was charity. It formed a way of life of parishioners: there were religious conversations, also sober way of life was propagandized, there was a work with people which are taking place in difficult vital situations. Religious holidays defined time, dividing it on routine and celebratory (celebratory services, religious processions, assembly holidays, solemn divine parishes during secular celebrations). The vocal culture and aesthetic taste was formed through familiarizing to organ’s music in church.
During the Soviet period the identical destiny had cult buildings of all faiths – they were reconstructed, destroyed or adapted for the various functions far from divine parish. Time when the temple has actually stopped to be used to purpose, unfortunately, is not established precisely. There is a date – the end of 1920th in the passport by 1986 of the USSR history and culture monument “the Krasnoyarsk Catholic church”. Officially the church was closed on March, 25, 1936.
In 1930-1940 years, here was placed the radiocommittee. From the end of 1950 till 1980 there was a film-complex of Krasnoyarsk TV studio. Actually the premise was used as warehouse and subsidiary premises of radio and TV. As if to architectural shape of church, towers and internal furniture were lost, and extensions were built, for years of the Soviet authority. Catholics should have compelled to participate in divine parishes secretly and irregularly within decades.
The recognition of a Krasnoyarsk region Catholic temple as a work of art has appeared only in 1970th years. In 1970th years teachers and students of Krasnoyarsk polytechnical institute’s building faculty surveyed a building, and carried out measurements and calculations. They came to a conclusion, that even small expenses (approximately 60-70 thousand roubles, without taking into account of interiors and sanitary technicians) can afford to restore the internal lay-out of a building and it’s original appearance. Thus the unique hall in Krasnoyarsk with height of 9 meters and a good acoustics would become suitable for use as a hall of chamber music and for musical lectures. By their calculation it was possible to place 250-300 armchairs in a hall with area of about 325 square meters, and also it was possible to place an organ in apse of the main nave. The architectural - construction and sanitary part of the project was supposed to executed on public principles in Student's Design bureau of polytechnical institute under a control of teachers.
At the end of III quarter 1978 the meeting concerning restoration of a Catholic church has taken place at the L.V. Notkin vice-president of executive committee of the Krasnoayrsk city council. It has been confirmed, that the complex of Krasnoyarsk studio of TV placed now in this building should proceed in a new premise in 1980. All participants of meeting including representatives of a philarmonic society made a conclusion, that the best variant of use of this building after it clearing is accommodation of a concert hall for organ and chamber music in it.
Active workers of architectural section of regional branch of the All-Russia society of protection of monuments of a history and culture under a management E.M.Panov, J.I.Grinberg have lead all measurements of a building, have made the design documentation on separate kinds of works.
Restoration was lead in 1980-1982 by institute to the Krasnoayrsk project of citizens and ÐÑÓ-5 of ãîððåìñòðîéòðåñòà. The author of reconstruction became A.I. Solovjov, he was advised E.Ì. Panov and U.I.Grinberg. With the help of repair - restoration works external and interior of a building was restored in part. For these works it was spent more than 700 thousand roubles for these works, allocated by management of culture of Executive region’s committee. The organ was ordered from firm "Riger-Kloss" (Czechoslovakia). Cost of the tool was about 490 thousand of foreign currency rubles in 1980 year. Since 1983 the building was used as a hall organ’s music, and was on balance of management of culture Executive region’s committee. Here concerts of tool music were spent where more than 28 thousand listeners visited in one year.
In 1980th years the building of a temple has been officially recognized as a monument of architecture and a history (the decision by executive region’s committee and by Advice of People's Deputies ¹384-15 from 16.06.1980 and ¹ 345 from 24.12.1986) as "original" monument of cult architecture of the beginning of XX century, and the historical monument constructed in honor (stay in territory of the region ) of exiled of the Polish insurgents 1830 and 1861». The cult building was characterized as «an appreciable reference point within the limits of the local zone, which was well adapted in quality of an organ’s hall with good acoustics and remembered shape».
Now the building is on balance of the Research-and-production Center on protection and use of monuments of a history and culture of committee on affairs of culture and art of Administration of Krasnoyarsk region. According to the contract of rent the building is used by a regional philarmonic society as an organ’s hall. There is a well-preserved house of the priest near to a building of church. In 1992 a huge repair was started. The premise was used for needs of musical school where now study about 300 children.
Revival of religious traditions last decade XX centuries has led to a reconstruction and expansion both sacral, and historical and cultural value of a cult building. Restoration of a church community began because of the initiative of group of Catholics of the Polish and German origin headed by T.Z. Dergun, and also Russian youth. On May, 15, 1991 the community was registered in management of justice of Administration of Krasnoyarsk region. Originally meetings of Catholics passed in private flats, the House of Culture, musical school. Only after numerous references and petitions of a Catholic community, and also after arrival of the priest Robert Bredshou from Ireland to Krasnoyarsk in April, 1992 for constant vicarial work and for creation of a Catholic monastery, there was possible a joint use of an organ’s premise .
Thus, now Catholics are in a building for carrying out of divine parishes three hours per day. There are mass on Russian, Latin, Polish and German languages in it. Here, there are members of Society of the sacred Vikenty de Pole, «Maria's Legion», «karitas», and pass meetings of youth and prayful group, groups of support for dependent and codependent «12 steps», «Mothers in a pray» and Êàtehuminat. After mass the parochial library and the shop of the religious literature are function and the Bible policy are conducts.
For many years Catholics of Krasnoyarsk petition for returning a building of a temple. This question is basic for them. Any time Catholics sounded the position on a TV and broadcasts, in newspaper articles. Realizing, that the church is a concert hall with the only organ in city, in nowadays, they suggested to sign the contract according to which the temple passes to a Catholic community, and concerts will be will be spent within several years while authorities will not find money for carry of organ.
However, fragility of the tool, its complex system of operation consisting in maintenance of necessary temperature and humidity, became the main obstacle in returning a sacred building for Catholics. Because of a new profiling of building, in opinion of secular authority, the old organ will be irrevocably lost.
Unfortunately, sacral opportunities of use of a cult building are rather limited in such foreshortening. There are no high-grade exhibition area, a serious videoshop and a record library, library fund, educational classes in a community that prevents high-grade development of parish, and the most important to conducting dialogue between a secular society and a community.
Not having achieved the positive decision on returning a historical building, priests and parishioners have addressed to city authorities with the request to allocate a part of the ground for construction of a new temple. This part of the ground allocated in microdistrict Solnechny. The project is developed by Krasnoyarsk to architects K.J.Shumovoy and E.O.Razvaljaev.
As if to a historical cult building it is possible to speak about infringement of semantic loading of its meaning first of all belonging to spiritual area, instead of a secular culture. The institute of Church plays a part in spiritual - moral education of the person. It makes a basis of culture of such peoples - citizens of the Russian Federation, as Germans, Poles, Lithuanians and Latvians.