Cathedral Church of St. Alexander
Kyiv, UA
St. Alexander's Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church built on a cruciform plan with a dome at the intersection of the naves in the classical style. It was built between 1817 and 1842, under the direction of Vincenzo Beretti, to celebrate the victory of Tsar Alexander I over Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1937 the church was closed by the Soviet authorities and between 1952 and 1990 it was used as a planetarium and historical library, for which the altars were removed. In 1990 it was returned to the Roman Catholic community, restored until 1994 and rededicated on 7 October 1995.