The postcards shows the Roman Catholic church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in the Main street (Enzenberg Hauptstrasse) in Chernivtsi. The first roman catholic parish was founded in Chernivtsi in 1786. Then, just a small minority of mainly Austrian civil servants and military were catholics. Being part of Galicia until 1849, many Poles moved to the Bukowina. Together with German settlers they formed the catholic community. First services were held in a wooden chapel, in 1814 the Roman Catholic church was consecrated. It was also used by the Greek-Catholic and the Armenian-Catholic community until they built their own churches. In 1910 Chernivtsi counted 23.000 Catholic inhabitants, 27% of its total population. After the second World War, when most of the Germans and Poles had left the Bukowina, only about 2000 Catholics remained in Chernivtsi. Nevertheless, the church functioned throughout the Soviet period. Thanks to that, the interior with its seven altars and stained glass windows could be preserved. The church is now used mainly by the small Polish comminuty. The pointed roof on the tower shown on the postcard was replaced by todays round one in 1909/10. Helmut Kusdat
