“The construction of the church on Malaya Gruzinskaya Street was initiated by the Polish community of 19th-century Moscow. At that time, the city had two parishes: the Church of St. Louis on Lubyanka Street and the Church of St. Peter and Paul on Milyutinsky Lane. However, the Catholics of Tsarist Russia, primarily Poles who worked on the newly constructed Moscow-Smolensk (Belorussian) Railway, petitioned the Moscow government to build a church as a branch of the parish on Milyutinsky Lane.
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The site chosen was remote (at the time) from the city center, where many Poles lived. The architect was also a Pole: Foma Osipovich Bogdanovich-Dvorzhetsky, a teacher at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture. Construction began in 1899. The main work was completed in 1911. Funds for the project were raised by Catholics from across Russia and abroad. The construction cost 300,000 gold rubles. On December 8 (December 21), 1911, the church was consecrated in honor of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The church before the 1917 Revolution
The cathedral building was built in the neo-Gothic style. Finishing work continued until 1917. The altar was high, with three spires. To the left of the presbytery was a chapel where Byzantine Rite Catholics held services. The chapel to the right was intended for funeral services.
The first rector
Since the church was a branch of the parish of St. Peter and St. Paul, priests from there, from Milyutinsky Lane, served there. This continued until 1919, until the church appointed its own rector. This became 34-year-old Fr. Mikhail Tsakul, who arrived in Moscow from Simbirsk in 1915 and celebrated Mass at Malaya Gruzinskaya more often than others, was born in Reval (now Tallinn) to Polish Catholic parents. He graduated from the St. Petersburg Roman Catholic Seminary and was ordained a priest at St. Catherine’s Church. He served in Belarus and Simbirsk, then transferred to Moscow, to the parish of St. Peter and Paul.
During the Soviet persecution of Catholics, he was arrested three times, but twice he was released after a short time, and he returned to ministry. In 1937, he was arrested “for celebrating Mass on the day of a Polish national holiday at the request of the Polish ambassador” and other “illegal religious activity” and executed by firing squad. He is buried in the Donskoy Cemetery along with other victims of repression.
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Soviet Era:
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In 1938, the church was officially closed by the Soviet authorities. The church property was looted and destroyed. During the Great Patriotic War [against German occupation, World War II], the building’s exterior was also damaged—the towers and spire on the dome were torn down. The interior was divided into four floors, housing first dormitories for construction workers, a machine operator school, then a vegetable warehouse, and the Mosspetspromproekt Research Institute. A major fire in 1954 disfigured the building’s exterior and dome.
Perestroika and Revival
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In the late 1980s, the Polish diaspora became concerned about the return of the church to Catholics. In 1990, a community was formed at the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and on December 8 of that year—the 79th anniversary of the church’s consecration—Father Tadeusz Pikus celebrated the first Holy Mass in over 50 years on the steps of the building.
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Since 1991, after Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz issued a decree reestablishing the parish of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, liturgies on the steps have become regular, and confessions have been heard in the open air. The parish acquired a second rector—Father Joseph Zanevsky, a Belarusian Salesian priest. The parish developed its activities, including catechesis, charitable work, and youth outreach.Restoration of the Building and Grounds
The organizations that occupied the church reluctantly and slowly vacated the premises, despite having documents confirming the church’s return to Catholics. The building was only fully restored in early 1996, following an appeal to President Boris Yeltsin.
The church was granted the status of a historical and architectural monument of federal significance, but the return of the portion of the territory expropriated by the Soviet regime took several more years.
Restoration work continued until the end of the 20th century, with assistance from parishioners, the Polish diaspora, and Catholic charities from around the world.
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On December 12, 1999, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Legate of Pope John Paul II and Vatican Secretary of State,
solemnly consecrated the restored church.
The Church in the 21st Century.
The social life of Moscow’s Catholics developed rapidly—processions through the city streets on the Feast of Corpus Christi became annual events, and the church hosted major events such as the Biblical and Ecclesiological Symposium and the All-Russian Eucharistic Congress.
In 2005, construction of the curia building of the Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow, located behind the church, was completed.
In 2007, the church hosted its first episcopal consecration—Father Pavel Pezzi was ordained archbishop.
In September 2011, the church celebrated its centenary. The Papal Legate, Cardinal Josef Tomko, attended the celebration.
In 2017, the rector of the parish of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary was replaced—a Salesian, the Belarusian priest Father Vladimir Kabak, became rector.
The nuns and Salesian priests continued the work of Father Kabak. Joseph Zanevsky, the youth ministry director, continues to run catechesis groups, regularly holds educational and developmental classes for children and adults, and holds prayer groups.
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Church social life continues to develop – the church is participating for the first time in the city and federal events “Night of Museums” and “Night of the Arts.” Organ concerts organized by the “Art of Goodness” foundation are held regularly and traditionally attract full houses. Choral music classes are also held at the church.”
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