Culture and religion

Minsk is the major cultural centre of Belarus. Its first theatres and libraries were established in the middle of the 19th century. Now it has 11 theatres and 16 museums. There are 20 cinemas and 139 libraries.

Churches The Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Spirit is actually the former church of the Bernardine convent. It was built in the simplified Baroque style in 1642–87 and went through renovations in 1741–46 and 1869. The Cathedral of Saint Mary was built by the Jesuits as their monastery church in 1700–10, restored in 1951 and 1997; it overlooks the recently restored 18th-century city hall, located on the other side of the Independence Square; Two other historic churches are the cathedral of Saint Joseph, formerly affiliated with the Bernardine monastery, built in 1644–52 and repaired in 1983, and the fortified church of Sts. Peter and Paul, originally built in the 1620s and recently restored, complete with its flanking twin towers. The impressive Neo-Romanesque Roman Catholic Red Church (Cathedral of Sts. Simeon and Helene) was built in 1906–10 immediately after religious freedoms were proclaimed in Imperial Russia and the tsar allowed dissidents to build their churches; The largest church built in the Russian imperial period of the town's history is dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene; Many Orthodox churches were built after the dissolution of the USSR in a variety of styles, although most remain true to the Neo-Russian idiom. A good example is St. Elisabeth's Convent, founded in 1999.

Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (Russian Orthodox).

Cathedral of Saint Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic).

Church of St. Joseph (formerly Uniate, currently used as an archive).

Church of Sts. Peter and Paul (Russian Orthodox).

The Red Church (Roman Catholic).

Church of St. Mary Magdalene (Russian Orthodox).

Church of Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Roman Catholic).

Church of Holy Trinity (Saint Rochus) (Roman Catholic).

Church of All Saints (Russian Orthodox).

Church of St.Yevfrosinya of Polotsk (Russian Orthodox).

Church of St. Elizabeth Convent (Russian Orthodox)

Church of St. Sophia of Slutsk (Russian Orthodox)

Cemeteries Kalvaryja (Calvary Cemetery) is the oldest surviving cemetery in the city. Many famous people of Belarus are buried here. The cemetery was closed to new burials in the 1960s. Military Cemetery Eastern Cemetery Chizhovka Cemetery Northern Cemetery Theatres

Major theatres are:

National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus Belarusian State Musical Theatre (performances in Russian) Maxim Gorky National Drama Theatre (performances in Russian) Yanka Kupala National Drama Theatre(performances in Belarusian) Museums The city hall (rebuilt in 2003) overlooks the Cathedral of Saint Virgin Mary.

Major museums include:

Belarusian Great Patriotic War Museum Belarusian National Arts Museum Belarusian National History and Culture Museum Belarusian Nature and Environment Museum Maksim Bahdanovič Literary Museum Old Belarusian History Museum Yanka Kupala Literary Museum Recreation areas Chelyuskinites Park Children's Railroad Gorky Park (Minsk) Forest Park Yanka Kupala Park