Pruzhany Catholic Church gets a new organ brought from the Netherlands. The previous church organ was used as firewood for the House of Culture
On July 18, the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Pruzhany will host a solemn blessing and inauguration of a historical wind organ from the early 20th century. The instrument, more than a hundred years old, was brought directly from the Netherlands to return its voice to the temple after long decades of silence.
As the organizers of the Ars Magna Organi festival report on their Instagram page, the transfer of a historical instrument of the Western European organ-building tradition is an exceptional event for Belarus. Now, there will be only two historical Dutch organs in our country. The first, built in 1924, was moved to the Mogilev Co-cathedral Church in 2018.
The new Pruzhany organ has a rich and interesting history. It was built in 1912 by the Dutch master Martin Vermeulen for the Reformed Church in Schouwerzijl. Vermeulen is a distinguished Dutch master whose instruments still successfully sound in Europe, and another of his organs from 1910, for example, is actively used at the Center for Art and Music in St. Petersburg.
After the church in Schouwerzijl was closed in 1986, the instrument underwent a major restoration and was moved to Numansdorp. However, in 2019, due to the poor condition of the building, the parish moved, and the old church was closed again. The fate of the instrument was uncertain until it was decided in 2026 to transport and install it in the Pruzhany church.
According to specialists, the instrument has a very loud, full, and rich romantic sound, which perfectly unfolds in the excellent acoustics of the three-nave church with its long reverberation. During installation, it was decided to place the organ not at the very edge of the parapet, but deeper into the choir loft – this provided not only the best acoustic effect but also left space for a choir or ensemble.
For Pruzhany, the installation of this instrument is a return of historical justice. The fate of the previous organ, which stood in the same choir loft, was tragic. The church itself, built in 1883 according to the design of the famous architect Henryk Marconi, suffered greatly from Soviet atheism.
When in 1951 the authorities finally sealed the church and began to rebuild it into a House of Culture, church property was disposed of with maximum cynicism: wooden parts of the unique organ were used as firewood to heat the building, metal pipes were sold for scrap metal, and liturgical vestments were cut up for theatrical costumes.
The solemn blessing of the new organ and the first concert will take place on July 18 at 11:00 AM. The new instrument will be inaugurated by a world-renowned performer — Professor Stefan Engels (Germany / USA), who is the head of the organ department at the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
This concert will be part of the grand Ars Magna Organi festival. After July 18, every week until October 2, solo and ensemble concerts will be held in the Pruzhany church — a total of 15 performances are planned, and admission to all events will be free.
«Nasha Niva» — the bastion of Belarus
SUPPORT US
A girl traveled from Minsk to Tbilisi by car and saw what was happening with gasoline in Russia. "Gas stations are either completely closed or empty" 55
Comments