Turov, Gomel Province, Belarus, May 13, 2025
Photo: church.by
The Belarusian Orthodox Church celebrated the 1,020th anniversary of the Turov Diocese this weekend with a Divine Liturgy gathering a host of hierarchs, clergy, and laity.
The Turov Diocese is among the oldest of the entire Russian Orthodox Church. The celebration coincided with the 895th anniversary of the birth of St. Cyril of Turov, who led the diocese in the 12th century.
Photo: church.by
The Liturgy was led by His Eminence Metropolitan Benjamin of Minsk, the head of the Belarusian Exarchate of the Moscow Patriarchate. He was concelebrated by nine other Belarusian hierarchs. The service was held in a pavilion above the foundation of the ancient cathedral of the Turov bishops, destroyed by an earthquake in the 13th century, reports the Belarusian Orthodox Church.
During the Liturgy, Met. Bejamin blessed the congregation with the altar Turov Cross, which was recreated based on the model of the elevating crosses of Byzantine and ancient Russian churches, using archaeological findings from the 12th-13th centuries from the Turov settlement. This cross was gifted to the Turov Cathedral by President Alexander Lukashenko on Pascha.
Photo: church.by
During the service, the Metropolitan offered a prayer for peace. After the dismissal, all participants proceeded to the monument of St. Cyril of Turov, where a glorification to the Holy Hierarch was sung.
In honor of the diocesan anniversary, Met. Benjamin awarded several laymen who had particularly labored for the glory of the Church. A festive concert program was also held to mark the Turov anniversary and the 80th anniversary of Victory Day.
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The Diocese in Turov is the second oldest among the Orthodox dioceses of Belarus. It appeared shortly after the Polotsk Diocese and included vast territories now belonging to the Minsk, Gomel, Grodno, and Brest Provinces.
By the 12th century, Turov was equal to Polotsk, Novgorod, and Kiev in greatness, state influence, and the fruits of spiritual enlightenment. Among the witnesses of this flourishing that have survived to our days is the foundation of the large cathedral of the Turov bishops, discovered at the Turov fortress during archaeological excavations in 1963.
Two Turov hierarchs—Bishop Cyril and his successor Bishop Lawrence—have been glorified by the Orthodox Church as saints. St. Cyril of Turov is especially deeply venerated by local residents, and his commemoration day (April 28/May 11) is traditionally a spiritual and state holiday throughout the Polesie region.
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