EUROPE/RUSSIA - "Night of the Arts 2025": Moscow's Catholic Cathedral opens to thousands of visitors

by Chiara Dommarco

Moscow (Agenzia Fides) – On the evening of November 3, Moscow’s Catholic Cathedral opened its doors to thousands of visitors for the “Night of the Arts,” offering three free concerts.
As every year, on the Day of National Unity, November 3 and 4, numerous free artistic and cultural events are held throughout the Russian Federation, mostly in the evenings and at night: lectures, concerts, theatrical performances, exhibitions, and workshops. For the third year, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was included among the sites of historical and cultural interest and was visited by a large number of citizens between 8 p.m. and midnight on November 3.
“Many people are drawn to the organ, one of the largest in Russia, and to the mysterious atmosphere of the cathedral’s neo-Gothic vaults,” Marija Pecherskaja, co-director of the 2025 edition with Dmitrij Voronkov, told Fides. “There is a great deal of interest in the cathedral, and we receive many visitors every year. Therefore, we try to organize everything as best as possible and convey to our guests the beautiful atmosphere that we ourselves feel in this church,” she added.
The help of the numerous volunteers, members of the cathedral parish, was essential, both in the weeks leading up to the event and on the evening itself. During the three concerts, each beginning at 9 p.m. and lasting one hour, professional musicians, including some parishioners, performed sacred music from the Western tradition, the medieval, modern, and contemporary eras, accompanied by the cathedral choir under the direction of Timur Dosaev. “I am certain that music and song can convey the mystery of this world and make the presence of the divine palpable here and now: through our playing, we can share with the audience the faith and love we feel when performing these pieces. That is why I consider this event an interesting opportunity,” the conductor explained to Fides.
Among the musicians was Antonio Gramsci, grandson of the Italian philosopher and Marxist politician of the same name. Gramsci, a Russian citizen (born in Moscow), teaches mathematics, science, and music at the Italo Calvino School at the Italian Consulate General in Moscow. In a conversation with Fides between performances, the musician described himself as an “agnostic lover of sacred music”: “I very much enjoy playing in churches and have been doing so for many years; I have also performed in Italy,” he affirmed. Visitors were able to admire his multifaceted talent: He played medieval and Renaissance pieces on ancient instruments from various parts of the world, instruments still in use today, such as the Hümmelchen, a German bagpipe, the bouzouki, a Greek stringed instrument, and the darabouka, a percussion instrument primarily used in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia.
“Every year,” said Marija, “I see this event as an opportunity for visitors: Through the beauty of the cathedral and the tradition we want to share with them, they can learn something new and interesting for themselves and realize that the culture we share with them is a common heritage of humanity that unites us despite all our differences. A heritage that we must preserve and pass on.”
In December 2024, the Catholic community in Moscow celebrated the 25th anniversary of the reopening of the church, which now serves as a cathedral (see Fides, 12/12/2024). Following the end of the Soviet era, the Apostolic Administrations for European and Asian Russia were established by the papal bull "Providi quae Decessores" of John Paul II on April 13, 1991, and Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz was appointed Apostolic Administrator of Moscow. He ordered the restoration of the Parish of the Immaculate Conception: for five years, liturgical celebrations, confessions, and gatherings took place in the church square. In 1996, at the Archbishop's request to President Boris Yeltsin, the building was returned to the faithful. Today, the Catholic Cathedral, the seat of the Metropolitan Church of the Archdiocese of the Mother of God of Moscow, is an integral part of the cultural life of the Russian capital, both at the municipal and federal levels, particularly due to the rich concert program it hosts throughout the year. (Agenzia Fides, 4/11/2025)

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