Minsk Sights

  1. Church of St Aleksandr Nevsky

    Church of St Aleksandr Nevsky. Built in 1898, it was closed by the Bolsheviks, opened by the Nazis, closed by the Soviets and now it's open again. It's said that during WWII, a bomb crashed through the roof and landed plum in front of the altar, but never detonated.

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  2. Church of Sts Simon & Elena

    Breaking the theme of Soviet classicism that dominates ploshcha Svabody is the red-brick catholic Church of Sts Simon & Elena, built in 1910. Its tall, gabled bell tower and attractive detailing are reminiscent of many brick churches in the former Teutonic north of Poland.

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  3. Holy Spirit Cathedral

    The baroque, twin-towered orthodox Holy Spirit Cathedral, built in 1642, stands confidently on a small hill. It was once part of a Polish Bernardine convent, along with the former Bernardine Church next door, which now houses city archives.

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  4. Sts Peter & Paul Church

    Across the vulitsa Lenina overpass is the attractively restored 17th-century Sts Peter & Paul Church, the city's oldest church (built in 1613, looted by Cossacks in 1707 and restored in 1871). Now it is awkwardly dwarfed by the surrounding morose concrete structures.

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