The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is a monument of architecture of late classicism. It was built of brick as a cathedral in 1856 on what was then Buĺvarny Avenue.

The first parish church in Brest was funded by the Grand Duke Vitaŭt under the name of the Holy Cross and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It existed from 1412 until the middle of the XIX century. In 1766 the church was rebuilt, but in the 1830s was demolished during the construction of the fortress.

In 1845, residents of the Kobrynski suburb of the Brest-Litoŭsk fortress appealed to the Secretary of the State Duke Halicyn with a request for permission to build a church in the new city. The project was approved by Emperor Nicholai Ⅰ on November 18, 1849. The church was built and consecrated in 1856.

In the ⅩⅩ century, in the interwar period about 10 thousand parishioners belonged to the parish. During the Second World War, the church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was heavily damaged. And in the 1950s, in line with the anti-religious policy of the Soviet Union the church was closed and completely rebuilt – the two towers on the main facade were removed, the floors were embedded inside. Until the 1990s, the Brest Regional Local History Museum was located in the building of the church.

On August 12, 1990 a service was held in the church building for the first time in 42 years. It took a few years for the church to acquire the original appearance. On August 28, 1992 the church was consecrated, at the same time two new bells were sanctified: "Jan Paviel" and "Žyhimont".

The church of the Holy Cross is built on the basilican floor plan with a semicircular apse and side sacristy. Two side towers crown the main facade. The main entrance ends with a classic pilaster portal with a triangular pediment.

Publication date: 13.06.2019.

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