Cathedral Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk. History, modernity, shrines

The Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk is the center of the spiritual life of Belarus and its capital. There are only four chapels in the church. The southern one is dedicated to the Kazan icon of the Mother of God. The throne of the northern side-chapel is consecrated in honor of the Great Martyr Varvara. The crypt (lower) chapel is dedicated to the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers Cyril and Methodius. The throne of the main chapel is consecrated in the name of the Descent of the Holy Spirit. The cathedral can be considered not only an important religious structure, but also a bright architectural monument. There is a bookshop at the temple.

Schedule of services

Worship services are daily performed at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk. On weekdays and on Saturdays, the service starts at 8:40 hours. At 9.00 the beginning of the Mass. On Sundays, as well as on the days of the temple, the great and the 120th feasts, two Divine Liturgies take place - early and late. The services start at 7 and 10 am, respectively. Those who want to confess should come half an hour before the start of the Liturgy. Every day, except Sundays, at 5 pm the akathists are sung. Evening services start at 18.00.

Missionary and charity

In addition to its main purpose, the temple serves as a charitable and educational center. The Cathedral Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk is the base for the Sunday school, the brotherhood of John the Theologian, the sisterhood of St. Sophia Princess Slutskaya and the brotherhood of the saints of Kosmos and Damian of Rome. The Brotherhood is mainly engaged in missionary work and charity. Their target audience is young people. The Sisterhood unites Orthodox women who render spiritual assistance to those who need it in hospitals.

Three groups are organized in the Sunday school: for children 5-7 years, for children 8-11 years old and the senior youth group. Also on the basis of the school, classes for parents are held, a library is created, a children's liturgy is regularly served for Sunday school pupils, as well as their mothers and dads. At school there are circles: choral and needlework.

Pilgrimage

One of the main goals for Orthodox pilgrims in the capital of Belarus is the cathedral of the Descent of the Holy Spirit. Minsk for the pilgrim is 27 temples, and the central church of the city is one of the largest. Among the main relics of the cathedral are the relics of St. Sophia, Princess Slutskaya, and icons:

• Our Lady of Minsk;
• The holy martyr of Princess Ludmila;
• The holy priests of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth and the nun Varvara.

The main shrine of the church and one of the most valuable sacred places of Belarus is the Minsk icon of the Mother of God. Here's her story. Among the numerous church utensils and shrines brought from Korsun to Kiev by the Grand Duke Vladimir, was the miraculous image of the Mother of God, written supposedly by the apostle Luke. In 1500, Kiev was taken by Tatars, and one of them, ripping off the Rizu icon, threw it into the river. After a while she stuck to the bank of the river Svislochi. In 1616 she was transferred to Minsk. Since then, the icon has received the name of this city. In the main cathedral of the Belarusian capital, this image has been in existence since 1945.

Saint Sofia, Princess Slutskaya, being a convinced Orthodox Christian, was forced to marry a Catholic - Prince Janusz Radzwill. The condition on which young Sophia agreed to a marriage was the education in the Orthodox faith of children born of him. Marriage was not happy, God did not send the children. The princess was consoled only by faith in the Lord. Four years before her wedding, in 1596, a church union (union) with Rome was declared. Through the efforts of St Sophia, Slutsk received a letter from the Polish king, forbidding compelling the Union of Orthodox in the territory of this city. Thanks to this reading and writing, they managed to keep their faith unchanged. In 1612 at the age of 26 the princess died from the first birth. Her relics rest on the left wall of the temple.

The history of the cathedral before the revolution

The Cathedral Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk is located on the site of the former Orthodox male Cosmo-Damian Monastery, built in the beginning of the XV century. After the fire in the early 17th century a Bernardine temple (a Catholic monastic order) was built in its place , later it became the building of the main cathedral of the capital of Belarus. Construction continued from 1633 to 1642 years. In 1652 a stone monastic complex was built. The temple experienced multiple fires and subsequent reconstruction. The Bernardine monastery lasted until 1852. For some time the building was abandoned.

"Everything is back to square one", and in 1860 the temple was returned to the Orthodox Church, partially renovated and consecrated in the name of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers Methodius and Cyril. Here, for several years, divine services for students of the theological seminary were held. Soon the monastery was closed for major repairs, which ended in January 1870. The main throne was dedicated to the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, and the right side-chapel was consecrated in the name of Cyril and Methodius. The temple operated until 1918, until it was closed by the Bolsheviks.

Modern History

The Cathedral of the City of Minsk has visited the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit and the gym for the fire brigade, and the archive, and the transit prison for the "dispossessed" peasants. In 1938, the following event occurred, which can be called a miracle. During the rally, one of the speakers stated that he would not leave his place until they had rendered orders to demolish the church. From the meeting he was already taken away with fractures of both legs. The speaker stumbled, coming down from the rostrum. The church was saved from demolition, as the authorities were afraid to touch it. In 1942 the church was reopened. During the war, the priests of the cathedral helped people who were in hospitals, invalids and orphans, helped reopen the temples. In 1945 the icon of the Mother of God of Minsk was moved to the cathedral. The northern side-chapel, consecrated in the name of the Great Martyr Varvara, was built in 1953. In 15 years there was also a southern side-chapel in honor of the Kazan icon of the Blessed Virgin. The cathedral Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk became the main temple of the city in 1961.