Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Petersburg

The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Roman Catholic church connected with the former Archdiocese of Mohilev, whose metropolitan residence was transferred from Mohilev in 1849.

The cathedral was constructed in 1870–1873 beside the archbishop’s residence to designs by architect Vasily Sobolshchikov, with work completed under Evgraf Vorotilov. It was consecrated on April 12, 1873 and became the principal church of the Mohilev metropolitan. The church has a Latin-cross plan and forms part of a larger Catholic institutional complex. Several expansions during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries accommodated a growing congregation. After the Russian Revolution, the adjoining seminary closed in 1918, while Soviet authorities closed the cathedral in 1930. The building suffered damage during the Second World War and was subsequently converted for use by a design bureau, causing substantial alterations to the historic religious interior. The Catholic parish was re-established in 1994, and the building was returned to the Church in 1995. Following extensive restoration, religious services resumed in 1997, and the restored cathedral was consecrated on May 24, 1998.

Today, it is an active Roman Catholic parish belonging to the Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow. It is also directly connected with the Mary Queen of the Apostles Higher Theological Seminary, which occupies the adjoining historic seminary complex, while regular Masses and other religious services continue inside the restored cathedral.