“European Belarus” activists struggling for St Joseph Church (Photo)

Activists of the civil campaign “European Belarus” held a street action in Minsk demanding to return the church of St Joseph to believers.

In the evening on January 21, activist of “European Belarus” hung out a poster some metres long with text “Return the church to us”.

The rally to defend the church of St Joseph have been held since the Minsk city executive committee announced its plans to transfer the church to investors for re-building it into a hotel complex and a shopping centre.

The monastery was confiscated by the authorities of the Russian Empire in 1864 after the national liberation rebellion against the Russian Empire led by Kastus Kalinouski, had been crushed down. The state has been using this complex, built on money of the believers, for 144 years. A commandant’s office and a prosecutor’s office have been evicted from the monastery building. But the Belarusian State Archive of Scientific and Technical Documents and the Belarusian State Archive-Museum of Literature and Art are located in the church building. Evening prayer services for returning the shrine to believers have been holding near the church since March 19, 2005.