The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the most significant churches for Homieĺ Catholics.

In 1989, the religious Catholic community of Homieĺ was officially registered. The place where the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary used to be was occupied by the roadway. The believers asked the city authorities to give them a building, with which they would have something in common, namely the building at Savieckaja Vulica, 118. Previously, there was the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, built in 1896, and the Novikaŭskija cemetery. Although the cemetery was generally considered Orthodox, Catholics were also buried here. In 1941–1944 Homieĺ Catholics met in the church building. In the post-war period, Catholics held secret meetings in a private house on Piesina Vulica, not far from the church.

In the early 1990s, the city authorities handed over the building to the Catholic community. At the same time, the restoration of the building, which later received the status of the Chapel of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, began. Thus, the Catholics retained the name of the former Orthodox Church.

In 1994, the construction of a new church began on the basis of the chapel. On December 9, 2000, the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was consecrated by Cardinal Kazimir Sviontak.

In architectural terms, the temple is a cruciform neo-Gothic building with three naves and two towers (tetrahedral, with sharp spiers). In one of the towers there is a bell tower attached to the altar, the other adjoins the central wall of the temple. At the entrance to the temple, believers see a sculpture of the Virgin Mary. There is also a sign with an inscription in Latin – "Ave Maria Vita Nova". On the pediment is a cross. The walls are decorated with exquisite pilasters covered with cornices. The real decoration of this architectural monument are the rectangular and arched windows with stained-glass. The church has two floors, its arches are decorated with wood. The interior decoration of the church is restrained and laconic.

Publication date: 11.11.2021.

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