Belarus to rebury Princess Magdalena Radziwill's remains in Minsk cathedral

The remains of Princess Magdalena Radziwill (1861 — 1945) will be reburied in the Holy Trinity Catholic church also known as St. Roch's Cathedral in central Minsk, reports catholic.by.

Magdalena Radziwill was a famous patroness of Belarusian culture in the first decades of the 20th centurry. She funded the publication Maksim Bahdanovich's book of Belarusian poetry "Vianok" (Wreath) and supported the Belarusian-language education. In 1917 she donated a diamond necklace to found the Belarusian Greco-Catholic Board in Rome. A number of schools were opened in the country thanks to her efforts. The art patroness paid scholarship to Belarusian students in St. Petersburg, supported the Belarusian library there, reports BELTA.

Magdalena Radziwill died and was buried in Switzerland during the WWII. Last year, her remains were brought to Minsk. On 17 February, the funeral service will be officiated by Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Minsk and Mogilev Yuri Kosobudsky. The ceremony will be attended by Maciej and Michal Radziwill, Magdalena Radziwill's granddaughter Marlena Zamojska.

Maciej Radziwill stated the intention of the family to have the remains reburied in Minsk in 2016. This decision was made by the great-grandchildren of the princess. “She considered herself a Belarusian, dreamed of living in Minsk. Therefore it will be symbolic to let Magdalena lie at rest here,” Масiej Radziwill is quoted by BELTA news agency as saying.