Spaso-Evfrosinievsky female Polotsk monastery: history, description

In the XII century, which was a period of prosperitymonasticism 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 this day, becoming a monument to this servant of God, who now prays for all of us before the Throne of the Most High.

Theophany princess

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

Such zeal earned respect from relatives, but no onecould not foresee that the young Predslava will 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, thatfor those times was considered to be of legal age, many highly enviable suitors 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 narrates that the beginningThe monastic path was conducted in works, rewriting the ancient volumes kept in the library of the Polotsk Sophia Cathedral. Printing then was not invented yet, and the Holy Scripture, the Patericon and other spiritual literature were replicated only in this way.

The Order of the Messenger of God

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

Filled with humility, she wanted a nun Euphrosyneto serve God in seclusion, shutting himself 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, fromwhich subsequently was formed Polotsk Monastery, has become quite numerous. In this regard, the Reverend Abbess wished to erect a new stone church on the site of a wooden and by now old church.

Such a charitable cause contributed to the localpeople. There were voluntary donors in Polotsk. The necessary means were collected by their labors. The 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 Convent grew,grew stronger and by the name of the church built in it began to be called 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 his imminent demise,the Monk Euphrosynia wished to give the last duty to the Lord - to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and to bow to places connected with his earthly life. Together with his sister Eupraxia and 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 then the Monk Euphrosyne was almost seventy years old.

A difficult journey to the Holy Land was not for nothingfor the old woman. Soon she became ill and went blind, and on May 23 she betrayed her soul to the Lord, who had 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 shrine was placed in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

The subsequent life of the monastery

After the abbess of the holy abbess, hermonasteries continued to develop and prosper, but ahead of them awaited severe trials, 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-Evfrosinievsky monastery, after experiencing years of decline and poverty, managed to revive in the XIX century.

In 1833, work began on the capitalrepair of the Spassky temple, which was very dilapidated by that time and which had been in desolation for the last few years. Also, other monastic buildings were repaired, 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 on the territory of the monasterythere were two more churches - 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 among the first-class monasteries, and with it the women's spiritual school started its work, which reached its heyday at the beginning of the 20th century.

Shortly before the October coup from the cavesKiev-Pechersk Lavra in Polotsk were solemnly transferred to the relics of the founder of the monastery. 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 its temples.

Years of hard times and our days

During the reign of the God-seeking authorities the monasteryshared 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 andsoon, brought in due form by the labors of numerous parishioners, regained his life. Today, the residents of the monastery are seventy sisters. Daily morning and evening services are held in the temple. They are performed in the Krestovozdvizhensky, Euphrosynevsky and Preobrazhensky temples.

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