Using private funds, this Soviet-era house of worship was built at the start of Khrushchev’s thaw in the late 1950s. Due to open in 1960, a change in attitude saw the bell tower destroyed and the building converted into a concert hall. After the events of October 1988, the building was returned to the Catholic Church and the first Mass celebrated on November 25 of the same year. The cornerstone of the city’s Catholic community, the interior is fairly unremarkable, the main point of interest being the post-Soviet 70-metre bell tower which is open to the public by prior arrangement and that provides a fine 360º view of the city from the top. Note the black and white photographs following the inspiring story of the church’s construction on the walls as you climb the steps.