# Red Church (Saints Simon and Helena), Minsk > The Red Church — the Catholic Church of Saints Simon and Helena on Independence Square — is closed. Worship stopped after a fire in September 2022, and since summer 2025 it has been a fenced-off restoration site with no reopening date. The exterior is free to see any time: allow 15–30 minutes; Ploshcha Lenina metro is 3–5 minutes away. Web page: https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/minsk-red-church - City: [Minsk](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk), Belarus - YesGo score: 55/100 (Yes, go) - Time on site: 30 min - Entry: Closed inside, outside free - Opening hours: Closed for restoration, no entry; the exterior can be seen at any time - With kids: Fine with kids - Status: Closed since September 2022; restoration under way behind a site fence - Going inside: Not possible — the site is closed to outsiders - Seeing the outside: Free, any time - Mass: No services in the building since September 2022 - Reopening: No official date; the works deadline has already slipped into 2027 - Address: Savetskaya (Sovetskaya) street 15, on Independence Square - Metro: Ploshcha Lenina (line 1, blue), 3–5 min walk - Owner: Minsk Heritage (Minskaya Spadchyna), a city-owned company - Coordinates: 53.89652, 27.54748 - Facts checked: 30.10.2026 ## Key facts - **1905–1910** — built: foundation stone in 1905, consecrated on 20 September 1910 (source: English Wikipedia; Russian Wikipedia) - **Simon and Helena** — named after the two children of founder Edward Woyniłłowicz, who died young (source: English Wikipedia; Tonkosti Turizma; In Your Pocket Minsk) - **Since 2022** — closed after a fire that September; restoration since June 2025 (source: Russian Wikipedia; Forum 18; Nasha Niva) - **50 m** — the main bell tower; the two smaller towers are 36 m each (source: Russian Wikipedia; Tonkosti Turizma) - **1932** — closed and handed to the State Polish Theatre, later a film studio and the House of Cinema (source: English Wikipedia; Russian Wikipedia; Tonkosti Turizma) - **1990** — returned to Catholics for free use — never as their property (source: English Wikipedia; Russian Wikipedia) - **1996** — a bronze St Michael slaying the dragon was set up by the entrance (source: Russian Wikipedia; Tonkosti Turizma) - **2000** — the Nagasaki Bell, a copy of the Urakami Cathedral bell, was added (source: Russian Wikipedia; Tonkosti Turizma; In Your Pocket Minsk) - **2006** — Edward Woyniłłowicz was reburied in the church (source: English Wikipedia; Tonkosti Turizma) - **Tomasz Pajzderski** — the Polish architect behind the design (source: English Wikipedia; Russian Wikipedia) > **Is the Red Church open? Not right now** The church has been closed since September 2022, and since June 2025 it has been a building site behind a tall fence. Visitors are not let in, there is no Mass, and you can’t reach the courtyard statues. It is still worth a short stop for the outside — the tower dominates Independence Square — but don’t come for the interior. ## Why is the Red Church closed? In short: after a small fire in September 2022, the district authorities banned use of the building, the utilities were cut off and the city later ended the parish’s agreement. The last Mass inside was on 25 September 2022, and the congregation has worshipped in other Minsk churches since. The building has never belonged to the parish. When it was handed back in 1990, Catholics got free use, not ownership. Since 2012 it has been city property, managed by **Minsk Heritage** (Minskaya Spadchyna), which is also the client for the current restoration. The official cause of the fire was faulty wiring; no investigation results were published. The former parish priest has suggested arson — that is his view, not an established fact. ## When will it reopen? Nobody has given a firm date. Work started on 9 June 2025 and was due to finish at the end of January 2027. In autumn 2026 the completion date on the site notice moved to the end of April 2027, and the team restoring the murals and stained glass has a deadline in mid-March 2027. The bigger question is who gets the church back. Officials have not said whether it will return to the parish after the works, so the doors may stay shut for a while even when the scaffolding comes down. For trip planning, treat the Red Church as an outside-only sight; we will update this page once there is an official date. ## Red Church history in brief The church was paid for by **Edward Woyniłłowicz**, a Minsk landowner and public figure, and his wife Olimpia. Their son Simon died at 12 and their daughter Helena at 18 or 19, depending on the source, and the church carries the names of their patron saints. A local legend says Helena dreamt of the church and sketched it shortly before she died — a nice story with no evidence behind it. Polish architect Tomasz Pajzderski drew the plans. The foundation stone went down in 1905 and the church was consecrated on 20 September 1910. The 50-metre bell tower stands for the parents’ grief, the two 36-metre towers for the children. The Soviets closed it in 1932 and turned it into the State Polish Theatre, then a film studio, later the House of Cinema. It reopened briefly for worship during the wartime occupation. A hunger strike by believers helped win it back for Catholics in 1990. The St Michael statue came in 1996, the Nagasaki Bell in 2000, and Woyniłłowicz was reburied here in 2006. ## What you can still see - **The façade and bell tower** — the reason to come. The deep red brick stands out against the pale government buildings around the square. - **The three towers** — one tall for the parents, two smaller for the children; the best view is from the middle of Independence Square. - **St Michael slaying the dragon** — the 1996 bronze by the entrance. While the courtyard is fenced, you probably won’t get close. - **The Nagasaki Bell** — a copy of the “Angel” bell of Urakami Cathedral, which survived the atomic bombing of 9 August 1945. Also inside the fence. - **Government House** and its Lenin statue across the same square, with the Stolitsa underground mall beneath it. - The interior murals and stained glass are being restored — not visible for now. ## How to get to the Red Church 1. From the Town Hall and Upper Town, walking is easiest: go down from Freedom Square (Ploshcha Svabody) to Independence Avenue (Praspekt Nezalezhnastsi) and follow it south-west to Independence Square — about 20 minutes. 2. By metro from Nyamiha: one stop to Kupalauskaya, change to Kastrychnitskaya, then one stop to **Ploshcha Lenina** on line 1. 3. Take any exit onto Independence Square — the red tower is visible straight away, 3–5 minutes on foot. 4. Walk round the fence along Savetskaya street and the edge of the square to see the church from every side. 5. From the main railway station it is about a 15-minute walk north. > **Dress code once it reopens** This is a working Catholic parish, closed only for the works. When services return: shoulders covered, no beachwear, men take hats off, phones on silent, and no photos during Mass. > **Paying in Minsk** Seeing the church costs nothing. For the metro and cafés nearby, prices are in Belarusian rubles (BYN). Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards usually work, though terminals can fail — this is unofficial — so carry a little BYN from an ATM. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] I know the inside is closed - [ ] 15–30 minutes for the façade and the square - [ ] Metro stop noted: Ploshcha Lenina - [ ] Card that works abroad plus a little BYN cash - [ ] Independence Square and the Upper Town on the same walk ## Red Church vs other Minsk churches | | Red Church | Cathedral of the Holy Name of Mary | Holy Spirit Cathedral | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Faith | Catholic | Catholic | Orthodox | | Inside | Closed — restoration | Open outside services | Open | | Why go | Neo-Romanesque red-brick façade | Baroque, 18th-century frescoes | Belarus’s main Orthodox cathedral | | Where | Independence Square | Freedom Square | Above Nyamiha street | | Metro | Ploshcha Lenina | Nyamiha | Nyamiha | To see a Catholic interior, walk to the cathedral next to the [Town Hall](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/minsk-town-hall). See the Red Church from outside together with [Independence Square](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/minsk-independence-square). ## Churches in Minsk compared Every place of worship in Minsk rated by YesGo. - [Red Church (Church of Saints Simon and Helena)](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/minsk-red-church) — YesGo score 55/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Closed inside, outside free ## Central Minsk in half a day Independence Square and the Red Church, a walk up the avenue to the Town Hall, then Trinity Suburb and the Island of Tears. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and walks. 1. [Independence Square](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/minsk-independence-square) — YesGo score 54/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free, open 24/7 2. [Red Church (Church of Saints Simon and Helena)](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/minsk-red-church) — YesGo score 55/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Closed inside, outside free 3. [Minsk Town Hall and Upper Town](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/minsk-town-hall) — YesGo score 55/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · 10 BYN, square free 4. [Trinity Suburb](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/trinity-suburb) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free; museums extra 5. [Island of Tears](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/island-of-tears) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free ## Good to know Grodno, Vilnius and other cities have “red churches” of their own — this page is only about Minsk’s Church of Saints Simon and Helena. The Catholic cathedral on Freedom Square is a different church and is open. Old listings of organ concerts at the Red Church are out of date while it is closed. ## Tips - Don’t build a trip around the interior — until there is an official reopening, nobody gets in. - Pair it with Independence Square: one stop, 30–40 minutes for both. - For a Catholic church you can actually enter, walk 20 minutes up the avenue to the cathedral by the Town Hall. - Signs use Belarusian transliteration — look for Ploshcha Lenina, Kastrychnitskaya and Kupalauskaya rather than the Russian forms. - The best full shot of all three towers is from the centre of the square, where the fence barely shows. - Check the news before you go — the works deadline has already moved more than once. ## Questions ### Is the Red Church in Minsk open? No. It has been closed since September 2022 and is now a restoration site behind a fence. You can only see it from outside. ### When will the Red Church reopen? There is no official date. The works deadline has moved into spring 2027, and officials have not said whether the church will go back to the parish. ### Why was the Red Church closed? After a small fire in September 2022 the authorities banned use of the building and later ended the parish’s agreement. The city-owned Minsk Heritage now runs the restoration. ### Is the Red Church worth visiting? For 15–30 minutes from outside, yes — especially combined with Independence Square. Don’t make a special trip for it while the inside is closed. ### How do I get to the Red Church? Metro line 1 to Ploshcha Lenina, then 3–5 minutes on foot. From the Upper Town it is about a 20-minute walk along Independence Avenue. ### Where is the Red Church in Minsk? On Independence Square, at Savetskaya street 15, close to Government House. ### Why is it called the Red Church? Because it is built entirely of red brick. Its official name is the Church of Saints Simon and Helena. ### Who built the Red Church? Landowner Edward Woyniłłowicz paid for it in memory of his children Simon and Helena; Tomasz Pajzderski designed it. It was consecrated in 1910. ### What was the church used for in Soviet times? From 1932 it housed the State Polish Theatre, then a film studio and later the House of Cinema. It went back to Catholics in 1990. ## How we checked The church has no official visitor page while it is closed, so there are no prices or hours here. Status, deadlines and ownership come from Nasha Niva and Forum 18 news reports, not an official source, and are marked “verifying”. The dates differ: the site notice first said January 2027, in autumn 2026 it changed to the end of April 2027, and the mural restoration is due by mid-March 2027 — we only say the deadline has moved. Sources give Helena’s age as 18 or 19. Wikipedia calls the style neo-Romanesque but mentions a neo-Gothic reading too. Only English Wikipedia names a second architect, Władysław Marconi, so he is left out of the facts. Card payments are unofficial. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Church of Saints Simon and Helena - Russian Wikipedia: Church of Saints Simeon and Helena (Minsk); Wikidata Q1742825 - Nasha Niva: reports on the Red Church restoration, May, September and October 2026 - Forum 18: on the Red Church closure and restoration, March 2026 - Tonkosti Turizma: Church of Saints Simeon and Helena in Minsk - In Your Pocket Minsk: Church of Sts Simon and Helena --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.