Merchant Rybinsk

12 points4 km3 hours

Since the 18th century Rybinsk has been an important stop on the route from the Volga region to the Baltic. Over its history it earned the title of “Russia's barge hauler capital,” the country's highest government bodies consulted the brokers of its exchange, and the town is also the birthplace of founders of Hollywood. Take a walk and discover the fascinating stories of this corner of “deep Russia”!

Route author

Susanin Team

Things to do

📜 Learn the city's history
🏛️🕰️ Compare the eras

Route points (12)

Polish Catholic Church of the Holy Jesus in Rybinsk

Point on route “Merchant Rybinsk”

Point 3

Polish Catholic Church of the Holy Jesus

🕍 Place of worship

Historical Background

In 1830–1831 and 1863, Polish uprisings broke out in the western territories of the Russian Empire. The instigators were publicly executed or sent into exile. Some of the exiled Poles settled in Rybinsk and founded their own community. The decree “On Strengthening the Principles of Religious Tolerance,” issued by Emperor Nicholas II in 1905, lifted some of the restrictions on non-Orthodox subjects. The Poles of Rybinsk immediately began raising money to build a church. By 1910, with considerable help from benefactors in Warsaw and other Polish cities, they had built a Catholic church. A major role in the fundraising was played by the priest Iosif Borodich-Vygnanets, whom the authorities expelled from the town amid scandal, arguing that he was supposed to reside permanently in Lyubim rather than in Rybinsk, where he had no right of residence.

The Church's Fate After the Revolution of 1917

Sadly, the church did not last long. After the October Revolution it rapidly fell into disrepair, and in 1924 the Rybinsk executive committee confiscated its property, which led to the near-total disappearance of the congregation. In 1931 the church was voluntarily closed as a place of worship, as the remaining parishioners could not afford its upkeep. In the years that followed, the building was used by the railroad workers' union and as a canteen, a dormitory, and a store. Finally, in 1983, it passed to the Prometheus student club of the Rybinsk State Aviation Technical University.