Polotsk, Vitebsk Province, Belarus, January 16, 2025
Photo: church.by
The primate of the Belarusian Orthodox Church consecrated a restored 12th-century stone church in Polotsk yesterday.
The reconstruction and restoration of the Holy Transfiguration Church, which was erected in 1161, and its ancient frescoes began in 2017 and finished in time for the upcoming celebration of the Savior-St. Euphrosyne Convent’s 900th anniversary. The church, built during the lifetime of St. Euphrosyne, holds the highest category in Belarus’ list of historical and cultural treasures, the Belarusian Church reports.
The consecration was celebrated by His Eminence Metropolitan Benjamin of Minsk and His Grace Bishop Ignaty of Polotsk. The Metropolitan addressed the faithful following the Liturgy, emphasizing that today “by God’s mercy, the ancient church of Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk has been renewed as much as possible under modern conditions, restored and consecrated. The grace of the Holy Spirit has now descended, inspiring all to prayer.”
“The frescoes have been restored, architectural structures renewed, so that the church will be preserved for many years and bring joy to people, serving as testimony to how St. Euphrosyne of Polotsk cared for preserving faith and piety in our Belarusian lands,” he noted.
At the solemn opening ceremony, Met. Benjamin, Abbess Evdokia, and public officials who supported the restoration process ceremonially cut the red ribbon, and after prayers were offered, the faithful entered the Transfiguration Church to pray and light candles.
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Photo: planetabelarus.by
After the monastery’s closure in 1961, the Church of the Transfiguration remained the only active church in Polotsk and was managed by the parish community. According to local residents’ memories, on major feast days, so many people came to the ancient church that many had to pray on the porch and next to the church on the cathedral square.
In the mid-1980s, city authorities tried to convert the church into a museum, but parishioners successfully petitioned to state authorities to prevent these plans from being implemented.
With the monastery’s revival in the 1990s, daily services resumed in the church. In 2007, it was crowned with a gilded dome, and the church interior was adorned with a carved iconostasis.
In 2017, comprehensive restoration of the ancient monument began. During the restoration of the monumental paintings, numerous 12th-century frescoes were discovered, covering 90% of the walls. The best restorers from Belarus and Russia worked for several years to uncover them.
The existence of the ancient frescoes only became known in the 1920s, as for many centuries they were hidden under layers of later plaster, paint, dirt, and soot.
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