Long-suffering, but resilient: why it’s worth visiting St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Brest Fortresstranslated

sb.by material about the Garrison Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the Brest Fortress.

This church is the soul of the world-famous citadel. Its walls, scarred by bullets and shell fragments, witnessed the bloody battles of two world wars. And today, just like a century and a half ago, here there is a prayer for peace every day.

The first stone for the foundation of the fortress cathedral in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was laid in the middle of the 19th century by the highest imperial order. The author of the project for the future church was the famous architect David Grimm. Funds for construction came not only from the treasury of the military engineering department, but significant sums were donated by officers of the Brest garrison and the clergy. The cathedral in the very heart of the fortress turned out to be truly majestic. In the Byzantine style with side naves, a large apse and an impressive dome, which was crowned with a St. George's cross.

It is known that in 1886 Emperor Alexander III prayed and lit a candle in the church. With him was Tsarevich Nicholas (the future Emperor of Russia Nicholas II).

The 20th century brought difficult trials to Brest, the fortress and the church. Already in the First World War, the cathedral was seriously shelled. In 1915...