This monastery is not just a place of pilgrimage and prayer, the pride of Belarusian history and culture, it is one of the oldest and largest centers of Orthodoxy in Belarus.

More than nine centuries ago, a fateful event was occurred, which that changed the course of the history of Belarusian Orthodoxy.

Once a 12-year-old Princess Predslava, found out, that her father had decided to marry her off. She secretly went to a monastery, where in 1116 she was tonsured with the name Euphrosyne.

With the blessing of Bishop Elijah, she was settled in a small cell at Polotsk St. Sophia Cathedral. There she prayed tirelessly, copied liturgical books, and kept a Polotsk chronicle. The nun composed music, patronized painting, and became known as the first Belarusian philanthropist. Her influence helped overcome the conflict between Polotsk and Kiev principalities.

She completed her earthly journey during a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where she died in 1173. Only in 1910, the saint’s relics returned to Polotsk, where they rest nowadays. Today Saint Euphrosyne is revered as the patroness and heavenly intercessor of Belarus. She is recognized as a saint by the Orthodox, Catholic and Uniate churches. 

… The history of the St. Euphrosyne Monastery begins in 1125, when the princess Euphrosyne received a vision in which the Lord indicated the place of her special ministry - Seltso, not far from Polotsk, on the banks of the Palata River. The saint Euphrosyne settled near the wooden Church of the Savior, where she spent her days in prayer and spiritual instruction. Girls began coming to her in search of salvation for their souls. This is how the maiden monastery appeared.

Over time, the number of nuns grew, and the need arose to build a large temple. Thus, according to Euphrosyne’s plan, the stone Cathedral of the All-Merciful Savior was built - a grandiose creation of ancient Rus’ architecture, the construction of which took only thirty weeks. This temple, which has survived to this day almost in original form, amazes people with impressive architecture and artistic perfection. The frescoes of the 12th century, the exquisite white stone reliefs, arcaded friezes and slender columns with carved capitals, almost completely preserved to this day, all of this features are harmoniously combine with the monumentality of the volumes and a clear composition.

The main shrine of the temple was the visual Ark Cross, a masterpiece of ancient Byzantine jewelry art, made using the cloisonné enamel technique. Christian relics were kept in the cross.

After the death of the saint Euphrosyne, the monastery flourished until 1580. Then the popularity started to decrease. The revival of the monastery began only in the 19th century, the monastery was classified as first-class and the Pantocrator-Euphrosyne Women's School was opened with it. Here the work of Saint Euphrosyne continued in the upbringing and education of young girls.

At the end of the 19th century, the Holy Cross Cathedral of the Exaltation was erected on the territory of the monastery - an impressive example of the neo-Byzantine style with gilded domes, graceful arches and rich interior decoration.

During the years of Soviet power, the monastery was looted and closed in 1928. The revival began only in 1989. The St. Euphrosyne Monastery has once again become a place of pilgrimage and spiritual consolation for believers from all over the world. Cathedrals, frescoes and other relics attract tourists and pilgrims who come here to touch the origins of the Orthodox faith and appreciate the masterpieces of ancient Rus’ and Byzantine art. Today the St. Euphrosyne Monastery is not only a spiritual center and the center of Belarusian Orthodoxy, and an important historical and cultural monument.

P.s. Stay with us - and you will learn a lot of interesting things about the shrines of Polotsk Spaso-Euphrosinievsky Monastery, their history and future fate.