Spiritual developmentReligion

Spaso-Evfrosinievsky female Polotsk monastery: history, description

In the XII century, which was the period of flourishing of monasticism in the ancient Polotsk land, the future saint, the Reverend Euphrosyne, shone in her. The monastery created by it, having passed through many centuries of difficult and sometimes dramatic history, has survived to the present day, becoming a monument to this God-ple who is praying now for all of us before the Throne of the Most High.

Theophany princess

The Monk Euphrosyne, who founded the Polotsk Monastery, came from an ancient princely family, which originated from the baptizer of Rus, Prince Vladimir Equal-to-the-Apostles and his pious wife Rogneda. In holy baptism she was called Predslava. Having comprehended the letter at an early age, the young princess, avoiding the games and amusements typical for all children, spent time reading the Holy Scripture and conversations with the spiritual mentor - the parish church priest, who often visited her father's house.

Such zeal earned respect from relatives, but no one could foresee that young Predslava would choose for himself the difficult and thorny path of monasticism, giving him preference over all the temptations of worldly life. And it happened just like that.

Beginning of monastic ministry

When the girl was twelve years old, which at that time was considered to be of legal age, many very enviable fiancés began to marry her as a famous, rich and beautiful bride. But they all received a strong refusal. In response to the threat of her father to forcibly marry her, she secretly fled the house and took monastic vows in one of the nearby monasteries , having received a new name - Euphrosinia.

The life of the saint tells that she started the beginning of the monastic path in works, rewriting the ancient volumes kept in the library of the St. Sophia Cathedral in Polotsk. The printing press was not yet invented, and the Holy Scriptures, Patericon and other spiritual literature were replicated in this way.

The Order of the Messenger of God

But soon the Lord called her on a different path. Efrosinia was sent to the heavenly angel, who indicated to her the place where the Polotsk monastery would later be founded. From that time the saint settled near the church of the Savior in a place called Selts and stood two versts from the city. Together with her, there came another bilberry, the name of which history has not preserved. It happened in 1125.

Filled with humility, the nun Euphrosinia wanted to serve God in seclusion, shutting herself away from the whole world, but the Lord did not wish that such a bright lamp of faith would remain under the chaos. Very soon, other girls began to gather and settle around her, who were worshiped by Christ.

The construction of the temple and the creation of a new monastery

Over time, the community thus created, from which the Polotsk Monastery was later formed, has become quite numerous. In this regard, the Reverend Mother Superior wished to erect a new stone church on the site of a wooden and by that time old church that had become old.

Such a charitable cause contributed to the local residents. There were voluntary donors in Polotsk. The necessary means were collected by their labors. Leadership of all the work was undertaken by a local architect named John. According to the prayers of the Abbess Euphrosyne, the Lord sent down his grace to the builders of the new church, and seven months later the walls, crowned with domes, rose to the sky, and the best masters painted them with marvelous murals.

Over time, the Polotsk women's monastery grew, grew stronger and, by the name of the church built in it, became known as the Savior's abode. In 1155, the Reverend Mother Superior founded another monastery nearby, this time a man's monastery, having first built the Church of the Blessed Virgin. These two monasteries became the true centers of enlightenment in the Polotsk Territories. With them, schools, libraries and scripts were opened - workshops for writing manuscripts.

Death in the Holy Land

In 1173, foreseeing her close death, the Monk Euphrosynia wished to give the last duty to the Lord - to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and to worship the places connected with his earthly life. Together with her sister Eupraxia and her brother David, in January, she left Polotsk and after four months of exhausting footpath reached Jerusalem, where she was vouchsafed to bow to the Holy Sepulcher. And it was then the Monk Euphrosyne nearly seventy years.

A difficult journey to the Holy Land was not in vain for the old woman. Soon she fell ill, went blind, and on May 23, she betrayed her soul to the Lord, who served all her life. The abbess was Euphrosyne, who founded the Polotsk Monastery in the homeland, in Jerusalem, in the monastery of the Monk Theodosius the Great. Fourteen years later her imperishable relics were transported and how the greatest sacred object was placed in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

The subsequent life of the monastery

After the abbess of the holy abbess, the monasteries founded by her continued to develop and prosper, but ahead of them awaited trials that fell to the share of Russian land in the XVI and XVIII century. The man's abode was destroyed and has not survived to this day, but the Polotsk Spaso-Euphrosynevsky Monastery, after experiencing years of decline and poverty, managed to revive in the XIX century.

In 1833, work began on the capital repair of the Spassky church, which had become very dilapidated by that time and had been in desolation for the last few years. Also, other monastic buildings were renovated, and a new sister cell building was erected on the bank of the river Polota, slightly to the side.

In the second half of the XIX century, two more churches appeared on the territory of the monastery - in honor of the Monk Euphrosyne of Polotsk and the Holy Cross Cathedral. At the same time, the monastery of Euphrosyne of Polotsk was listed as a first-rate monastery and, with it, the women's spiritual school began its work, reaching its heyday at the beginning of the 20th century.

Shortly before the October coup, the relics of the founder of the monastery were solemnly transferred from the caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra to Polotsk. So, seven hundred years later Saint Euphrosyne returned to his offspring. The Polotsk Monastery met her with a solemn ringing of the bells of all his temples.

Years of hard times and our days

During the reign of godless power, the monastery shared the fate of most of the holy monasteries of our country. It was repeatedly closed, valuables were taken from it, including the holy relics of its founder, and the premises were used for household needs. But it is not without reason that the Scripture says that the one who endures to the end will be saved. The Polotsk Monastery was revived as well.

At the beginning of perestroika, it was returned to the believers and soon, brought to the proper view by the labors of numerous parishioners, regained its life. Today, the residents of the monastery are seventy sisters. Daily morning and evening services are held in the temple. They are performed in Krestovozdvizhensky, Euphrosynevsky and Preobrazhensky temples.

The service schedule of the Polotsk monastery differs from the schedule, which is installed in ordinary parish churches. On weekdays the morning services begin at 5:45, the Divine Liturgy is performed at 7:15, and the evening services at 16:45. On Sundays and holidays, a late Liturgy is celebrated at 9:30.

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