Barkolabovo, Mogilev Province, Belarus, July 28, 2026
Photo: bobreparhiya.by
The Barkolabovo Convent of the Ascension in eastern Belarus celebrated the 385th anniversary of its founding on Friday, July 24, the feast of the finding of the Barkolabovo Icon of the Mother of God.
The evening before, on July 23, participants in the traditional procession from the city of Mogilev arrived at the monastery at the conclusion of the All-Night Vigil. About 300 pilgrims covered the 25-mile route from the Convent of St. Nicholas in Mogilev to the Barkolabovo Convent, carrying a copy of the wonderworking Barkolabovo Icon. Molebens were celebrated at especially venerated sites along the route, reports the Belarusian Orthodox Church.
Photo: bobreparhiya.by
The Divine Liturgy in front of the convent’s cathedral church was led by His Eminence Archbishop Sophrony of Mogilev and Mstislavl. Concelebrating with His Eminence were His Grace Bishop Seraphim of Bobruisk and Bykhov, His Grace Bishop Alexei of Baku and Azerbaijan, Archimandrite Athanasius (Sokolov), rector of the Minsk Theological Academy, clergy of the Diocese of Bobruisk, and guest clergy.
At the conclusion of the Liturgy, Abp. Sophrony addressed those gathered with an archpastoral word, noting the special place of the Most Holy Theotokos in the salvation of the human race. He recalled that the Mother of God knows the sorrows and needs of people and helps those who turn to her in prayer with faith and love.
Photo: bobreparhiya.by
Bp. Seraphim thanked Abp. Sophrony, Bp. Alexei, the clergy, monastics, and pilgrims for their shared prayer. The hierarch recalled that in July 1641, the Orthodox statesman Bogdan Stetkevich donated land for the founding of the Convent of the Ascension in Barkolabovo.
Bp. Alexei also addressed the participants in the celebrations with a greeting and presented the convent with an icon of the Holy Apostle Bartholomew, which had been consecrated on his relics in the city of Baku.
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Photo: bobreparhiya.by The Barkolabovo Icon of the Mother of God is one of the most venerated in Belarus. After the monastery’s closure in the 1920s, the icon was preserved by believers. In 1953, it was transferred to the Holy Trinity Church in the city of Bykhov, where it remained until the convent’s restoration.
On July 25, 2010, the holy image was solemnly returned to the Barkolabovo Convent.
The convent celebrates the wonderworking icon on July 24, in memory of its finding, and on July 25, in memory of the icon’s transfer from the city of Bykhov to the convent.
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