Chapter from the book “Saints and Prophets of Western Rus'.”
Saint Euphrosyne, before tonsure - Predslava, from the Rurik family, granddaughter of the Russian prince Vladimir Monomakh and daughter of the Polotsk prince George. Born approx. 1101 Actually, it is incorrect to call the ancient Russian state only Kyiv. It was Kiev-Novgorod-Polotsk (it is significant that it was in Kyiv, Novgorod and Polotsk that the holy prince Yaroslav the Wise initiated the construction of the cathedrals of St. Sophia, making these cities “Russian Constantinoples”) and then Vladimir. Polotsk was a great center of Russian Orthodoxy, culture, self-awareness, education, and chronicle writing. And now it should not be just a “county” center, but be revived as one of the Russian spiritual and cultural capitals. Precisely all of Rus', for history ancient Russian state convincingly demonstrates the relativity and conventionality of the division into Great, Little and White Rus', it included both Seversk and Subcarpathian Rus', not subordinate to Kiev, all of this was Rus', in Greek pronunciation - Russia, in Latin - Ruthenia, where Russians lived, in Greek in pronunciation - Russians, in Latin - Rusyns.
However, let's return to Saint Euphrosyne. This young, beautiful and educated princess from her youth decides to devote herself to God and the Church, and despite the misunderstanding of her relatives, who believed that only unfortunates leave monks, having already been wooed by a well-born prince, at the age of 12 she secretly went to a monastery, where she took monastic vows with the name Euphrosyne, praying and studying were simply more interesting to her than social life. And she became not just a prayerful, but also a learned nun. Then, she and Polotsk Bishop Ilya had a simultaneous vision of an Angel blessing Euphrosyne to found her own monastery, and Bishop Ilya gave her the Transfiguration Church and land in the village of Seltso to establish a monastery. In addition to the women's monastery, she also became the founder of the Bogorodsky men's monastery. The monasteries founded by her become centers of unceasing prayer, but also public education. Euphrosyne herself writes books and teachings to the laity, monitors the continuation of the Polotsk chronicle, and does not let it fade away.. “It is believed that she participated in the compilation of the Polotsk chronicle. At the library of the St. Sophia Cathedral, Euphrosyne organized a workshop for copying books. The proceeds from their sale were distributed to the poor.” (Reverend Euphrosyne of Polotsk, V. Perkhavko, Moscow Journal, 2001).
She also vigilantly monitors the regular replenishment of the library of the Polotsk St. Sophia Cathedral. Abbess Efrosinia is also engaged in unceasing prayer, through her prayers many petitions are fulfilled, healings occur, but also in Orthodox Russian politics - she, like many other people of the Russian Church, reconciles the warring Russian princes, trying to leave the fragmentation of Rus', which resulted in its occupation and with West, and from the East. Having become a nun, Euphrosyne was a “shadow princess,” an outstanding Russian politician, a reconciliator between the Russian princes, in particular, the Polotsk and Kyiv princes. The latter were punished and expelled from Rus' prince of Kyiv Mstislav for refusing to participate in the all-Russian campaign against the Polovtsy and holiness, authority and Russian political will allowed Euphrosyne to avoid their fate.
Already at the age of seventy, Abbess Euphrosyne of Polotsk undertakes a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where she falls ill and dies on May 23, 1173. In 1187, her holy relics were transferred to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, and in 1910, the holy Emperor Nicholas II transferred her relics to Polotsk to strengthen the Orthodox Russian principles in Western Rus' (according to another version, a pilgrimage to the Holy Land meant a pilgrimage to the “New Jerusalem" and "Holy City" Kyiv.
The miraculous Cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk, a great work of Russian jewelry, created by order of St. Euphrosyne Lazar Bogsha in 1161, who came to Moscow as a result of the reunification of Smolensk with Russia in 1514, the Orthodox Russian Tsar John the Fourth took with him on a military campaign to liberate Western Rus' from the yoke of other faiths and for the reunification of Russian lands. John gave the Cross to Polotsk, which he liberated, installing it in 1563 in the Spassky Monastery founded by St. Euphrosyne. The importance that he attached to this particular shrine testifies to how much the holy Polotsk abbess was revered in the east of Rus'. Actually, the canonization of Saint Euphrosyne took place at the Moscow Council of 1547, convened by the founder of the feast of all Russian saints, which included saints from both the west and east of Rus', Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow.
The return of St. Euphrosyne with her holy relics to Polotsk in 1910 was truly a triumph of the “Russian trinity.” The Orthodox have been seeking this return since the reunification of Polotsk Rus with Russia, but before the great Polotsk Council of 1839, which returned the Belarusian Uniates to Orthodoxy, and before the just suppression of the Polish terrorist uprising, Polotsk and its shrines, including the Spassky Monastery founded by St. Euphrosyne, were in Uniate hands. And even after the suppression of the uprising, the Polish-Catholic “spiritual occupiers” did everything they could to prevent the revival of Orthodox Russian Polotsk. And only in 1909, the martyr Tsar Nicholas II finally showed Orthodox missionary and political will and decided to move relics of St. Euphrosyne to their homeland - Polotsk. This was done within the framework of the “canonization policy of the “martyr tsar” Nicholas II, when the canonization of the holy leaders of the religious and national liberation struggle of the Russian people was accelerated, such as Patriarch Ermogen, the baptist of Russian Siberia, the Little Russian Archbishop of Tobolsk John (Maximovich), the saint of Seversk Rus' , the initiator of the process of reunification of the Russian Church, which ended with the canonical annexation of the Kyiv and Little Russia Metropolis to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1686, Archbishop Theodosius of Chernigov.
And indeed, the return of Saint Euphrosyne to Polotsk became a grandiose celebration of the unity of Great, Little and White Russia, which, despite their hellish efforts, the truly satanic forces working on this destruction will not be able to destroy:
“...The long dispute between two ancient cities over the right to store the relics of St. Euphrosyne ended on July 3, 1909, when Tsar Nicholas II signed a resolution in which he expressed his consent to the return of the shrine to Polotsk. And on January 29, 1910, the Emperor’s Decree was issued, approving the procedure for the solemn transfer of relics from the Kiev-Pechersk Dormition Lavra to the Polotsk Spaso-Euphrosinievsky Convent. The relic was transported along the Dnieper on the Golovachev steamship for 737 km, and from Orsha to Polotsk via Vitebsk via a 201 km roundabout route, the reliquary with relics was carried by clergy, nuns and simple pilgrims. This memorable event went down in history under the name of the Saint Euphrosyne Celebrations.
Farewell Celebrations on the occasion of the transfer of the relics of St. Euphrosyne began in Kyiv on the second day of Easter - April 19, 1910. The next day, the relics of the saint of God were transferred to a new cypress coffin, and the old shrine, in which a particle of the saint’s relics was placed, was left in the Lavra in its original place. Then the shrine was transferred in a religious procession from the Annunciation Church of the Far Caves to the Great Lavra Church, where it remained for almost two days. All this time, day and night, the people of Kiev and pilgrims venerated the relics of the saint.
On April 22, after the Liturgy, the reliquary with the relics was transferred in a religious procession to the state pier and placed in the bow of the steamship Golovachev in a chapel specially built for the shrine. Kyiv saw off the Polotsk princess to the ringing of bells and the sounds of a military orchestra.
The relics of the Venerable Euphrosyne were accompanied by the clergy, Abbess Hilarion with twelve nuns of the Spasskaya Convent and representatives of secular authorities.
It was impossible not to be amazed at the depth of the people's faith. Seeing the steamer from afar, people knelt in reverence, holding lit candles in their hands. With tears in their eyes they cried out: “Our Reverend Mother Euphrosyne, pray to God for us!” The priest of the Spaso-Euphrosyne Monastery, Archpriest Nikolai Cherepnin, described the meetings of the saint’s relics with residents of the villages past which the “Golovachev” sailed: “Night and rain were not considered an obstacle to showing respect and reverence to the holy relics of the Venerable Euphrosyne. The masses of the people did not pay attention to any natural obstacles. When the steamer continued sailing after short stops, young and old ran along the shore behind the steamer, jumping over vegetable gardens, streams and ditches, grabbed bottles of water from the waves from the steamer, washed their eyes with it... One would think that all Orthodox Rus' flocked to the banks of the Dnieper " Such touching pictures could be seen along the entire route of the ship.
Every city, village, town located from Kyiv to Polotsk was preparing for this joyful event. The ship made stops only in large populated areas: Lyubech, Rechitsa, Zhlobin, Rogachev, Bykhov, Mogilev. Keeping simple and sincere faith in their souls, people tried to meet the relics of the saint of God in the most honorable manner. The streets were decorated with flags, garlands, carpets, arches of branches and flowers. In some places, believers covered the path along which the relics of the saint were to be carried with pine needles, flowers, linens, towels and scarves. The windows of the houses, balconies, and often the roofs were filled with people who wanted to see the shrine.
Many pilgrims from all over vast Russia gathered for the Celebrations. In small Rogachev alone, about 50 thousand people venerated the relics of the saint, in Mogilev - 75 thousand, in Orsha - 40 thousand. At the stopping places, the saint was greeted with a procession of the cross accompanied by the ringing of bells and the singing of majesty. In rural and urban churches, festive services were held: all-night vigils, Liturgies and prayer services for St. Euphrosyne. Often, due to the huge crowd of people, services were held in the open air.
On May 20, 1910, a religious procession with the relics of the saint arrived in Polotsk, which “has never seen within its walls such a crowd of people who came not only from Vitebsk and neighboring provinces, but also from Tver, from the banks of the Volga and others.” remote places..." The shrine was brought to the St. Nicholas Cathedral, where an all-night vigil was served, and the next day, May 21, the Divine Liturgy. Believers had the opportunity to venerate the relics day and night.
All those arriving in the city first of all hurried to venerate the relics of the holy ascetic. Princes and commoners, rulers and subordinates, rich and poor, saints and flocks - all these days were united by one desire: to once again fall before the incorruptible relics of the saint and be imbued with the spirit of her covenants, in order to live and die like her.
In those days, even the weather was favorable for the holy abbess to enter into her life with glory. hometown and his native abode. “The sun was shining cheerfully in the sky, not a single cloud was visible - they all now ran away somewhere into the distance, so as not to interfere with the sun’s look at the wonderful holiday, so as not to overshadow the great celebration. And on the faces of those who met us a different, spiritual joy shone; this joy penetrated deep into the soul and there dispersed the spiritual clouds. “What now is grief, need, everyday hardships and misfortunes? Everything must be forgotten! Now the reverend is with us, and we are near her. She will protect us, support us, guide us, and pray for us!” – this was undoubtedly the thought of many who took part in the Celebration.
The city prepared with special diligence to welcome its heavenly patroness. All the streets were beautifully decorated with flowers and flags; Polotsk residents arranged graceful arches through which the solemn procession passed. The Highest Persons who specially arrived for the Celebrations took part in the festive procession: Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov with his sons Igor and Oleg, Queen of Ellins Olga Konstantinovna and Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovna. Procession passed along Vitebskaya Street (Francysk Skaryna Avenue), where there was a magnificent arch with the city’s coat of arms (a warrior-horseman) and the inscription on the semicircle: “Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.”
On May 22, after the Liturgy was celebrated in the cathedral, the procession with the shrine headed to the Spassky Monastery. Before entering the birch alley that led to the gates of the monastery, the nuns erected an arch with the inscription: “Come, Our Joy, Venerable Mother Euphrosyne.” With tears of joy in their eyes and lit candles in their hands, the sisters of the monastery came out to meet the saint returning to them. Bow to the ground The nuns welcomed the arrival of the holy abbess. Thus the prophetic words of the Princess of Polotsk about her return to her native land were fulfilled.
On May 23, at the end of the Divine Liturgy, under the singing of a prayer service and the ringing of bells, the relics of the saint were placed in the Spasskaya Church in a consecrated silver shrine, funds for the production of which were donated by all dioceses of the North-Western Territory. Currently, the relics of the saint of God rest in the Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Cross under a carved canopy in a new silver shrine, modeled after the shrine of 1910. It is providential that the incorruptible relics of the saint were transferred to the Spaso-Euphrosinievsky Monastery precisely on the day of her blessed death. Now Orthodox Church celebrates not only the repose of the righteous woman, but also the transfer of her holy relics from Kyiv to Polotsk (the day of celebration - June 6 - was established by the Synod of the Belarusian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2007).
Truly, the event of the transfer of the relics of St. Euphrosyne forever remained in the memory of the entire Belarusian people. According to the recollections of one of the participants in the 1910 Celebrations, “it was great, purely spiritual, but in highest degree a joyful and significant holiday for Belarus... No, more than for Belarus - for the entire Russian land... This holiday showed that God is alive, that faith in Him is alive among the people, that the people love God and seek Him, that the people want and thirst for spiritual joys and God's truth." http://spas-monastery.by/history/articles/?id=3973"
Kirill Frolov
She could have become the wife of a prince and even a king, but at the age of 12 she chose a path devoid of earthly joys. But she retained the right to make decisions in her native principality
Euphrosyne of Polotsk is the first woman to be canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. By the place of her birth, she belongs to White Rus', that is, Belarus, as the lands of Ancient Rus' between the Dnieper and the Drut are now called. ABOUT life path You will learn about this Saint, her exploits and good deeds by reading this article.
The childhood and adolescence of Saint Euphrosyne
The exact date of birth of the Great Ascetic is unknown. Historians have established that Euphrosyne of Polotsk was born in the world of Predslava, approximately in 1101. The girl's pedigree was similar to that of the noble Rurik family. She was the granddaughter of Vladimir Monomakh himself, as well as the daughter of Prince George of Polotsk. Predslava’s father took care of his daughter’s education from an early age; she was taught by monks. In the prince's house there was a very large library, where there were many books of both a religious and secular nature. The girl had a great interest in reading. The description of Euphrosyne of Polotsk and her life is taken from chronicles that were written by witnesses of that time. Among her favorite books were: Holy Bible and the Psalter. In addition to reading, the girl prayed often and earnestly. Rumors about a girl wise beyond her years quickly spread far beyond the borders of the land of Polotsk, so many of the noble princes dreamed of such a wife.
A thirst for knowledge
The work “The Life of Euphrosyne of Polotsk” tells us that from childhood she showed a great love for heartfelt prayer and books. Predslava, according to some sources, received her education in the St. Sophia Cathedral, and according to others, at home, directly at the princely court (this version is considered more likely). The girl's teachers were only clergy. They gave her an education, using hagiographic literature and Holy Scripture instead of textbooks. From the words of the teachers and from the lives of the saints, the girl received an idea of the rules and customs that existed in the monastery. Science came easy to her. She was ahead of her peers in many ways. The “Life…” notes her unusual love of learning, great abilities and diligence. Predslava had wide access to books. In her house there was an extensive library, where, in addition to religious literature, the girl read a novel about the exploits of A. Macedonian, collections of aphorisms and sayings, etc. Somewhat later, she became interested in works describing theological interpretations of the essence of nature, as well as books with ancient history . The “Life…” also indicates that from a very early age the girl combined her love of education with concentrated prayer. It was not only her parents who “wondered” her wisdom. The fame of Predslav spread to many cities.
Deciding to become a nun
When Predslava was 12 years old, one of the princes took her in marriage. The parents gave their consent, but the girl made a completely different decision. Euphrosyne of Polotsk, whose biography from that moment received a new twist, secretly went to the monastery. The abbess of this monastery was the widow of her uncle Roman. When the abbess heard a request for permission to take monastic vows, her first decision was to refuse. The girl was still too young and also very beautiful. Yet over time, seeing the passionate prayer, faith and intelligence of Predslava, the abbess gave her consent, not fearing the anger of the girl’s father. So Euphrosyne became a nun.
Monastic years
For some time, Euphrosyne of Polotsk attended the school of obedience to the Lord. At the same time, she lived in the same monastery in which she took monastic vows. However, a little later she received the blessing of Bishop Elijah of Polotsk and went to live in St. Sophia Cathedral. Her room was a cell - a “stone cabbage”. In this cathedral, Euphrosyne was especially attracted by the library. From the books in it, the nun “was saturated with wisdom,” and the princess’s amazing concentration helped her to deeply comprehend it. All these years, the reverend’s love for teaching did not leave her. And at the same time she believed that spiritual enlightenment is an integral part of mercy and love for people. Euphrosyne began to rewrite books, revealing wisdom to everyone with the help of her hard work. In those years, only men did this difficult work. And the mere fact that a young woman took on such work was a feat in itself. Some of the books rewritten by Euphrosyne went for sale. The proceeds from this, at the request of the nun, were distributed to the poor. At the same time, the famous princess began to write her own books. In them she captured teachings and prayers, and also made translations from Latin and Greek. In addition, Euphrosyne corresponded with brothers in spirit and with her compatriots. One of them was Kirill Turovsky. At the same time, the Reverend did not fight against existing old traditions. She sought “illumination with light,” in which the highest wisdom of a woman was manifested.
CROSS OF THE REVEREND EUPHROSYNE OF POLOTSK
Shrines of White Rus'
According to many experts, the cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk, like the notorious Amber Room, is one of the ten most valuable missing works of art, which are hunted by famous collectors. The history of this cross is dramatic, full of mysteries and ambiguities. And his whereabouts are still unknown. But the famous relic for the Orthodox is not just an artistic rarity - it is priceless, for it is one of the most famous shrines in Belarus.
The history of the cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk began in the now distant 12th century. According to legend, one day an angel appeared in the cell of the young Polotsk nun Euphrosyne (in the world Princess Predslava, granddaughter of the Polotsk prince Vseslav the Magician) and said that she should settle in Selts, on the banks of the Polota, not far from Polotsk, and found a nunnery there. Euphrosyne did just that and, with the support of Bishop Elijah and influential relatives, established a monastery in Seltse.
In 1161, through the zeal of Euphrosyne, the stone Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior (Savior Euphrosyne) was erected here. It took only 30 weeks to build, which was very fast for that time. The temple was built under the direction of the architect John. The church turned out well and stood for centuries, continuing to delight us, already in the 21st century, with the sophistication of its architectural forms and ancient paintings. Its proportions and shape have had strong influence on the temple architecture of other cities Kievan Rus– Smolensk, Novgorod, Ryazan, Pskov. A characteristic feature of this architecture was the soaring proportions of the building. This feature was especially clearly manifested in the appearance of the Pyatnitskaya Church in Chernigov.
There was a workshop at the monastery where frames for images and other church items were made. One of the most skilled craftsmen in Polotsk was Lazar Bogsha - a goldsmith (or jeweler, if you resort to modern language). Bogsha is a shortened form of the name Boguslav, which was then widespread in the lands Southwestern Rus'; He received the name Lazarus at baptism. The master mastered the technique of cloisonne enamel - very rare in Rus' at that time. Most likely, Lazar Bogsha learned this art in Byzantium. By the time the master received an order from Euphrosyne to make an altar cross for the Church of the Transfiguration, he was already quite mature age. Evidence of this is the inscriptions on jewelry and religious items that coincide with the characteristic inscription on the cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk, which, however, were made 30 years before Lazarus took up the cross. A number of unsigned works, executed at a very high level enamel art is also attributed to Lazar Bogshe - in particular, the barm medallion of the princely chest decoration, found in Kyiv in 1824 and described by the historian N.P. Kondakov. There are also objects made in a similar style later than the cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk, but art historians, taking into account the age of the master, believe that they were most likely made by his students.
last years of life
Being in old age, Euphrosyne decided to go on a pilgrimage to Holy Jerusalem. There she, exhausted after a long journey, fell ill and soon died. The Polotsk princess was buried not far from Jerusalem, in the monastery of St. Feodosia. In 1187 the saint was reburied. Her remains were transported to the Feodosieva Cave of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Only in 1910 were the saint’s relics delivered to Polotsk.
Saint Euphrosyne rested on June 5 (May 23, Old Art.), 1167 (?) or 1173 (?) in the holy city of Jerusalem. This day is considered the day of her memory, since on this day she departed to the Lord.
By this date the Department rare books and documents prepared a book exhibition “The Holy Patron of Belarus – Eufrasinnya of Polatskaya” , which is located in the library reading room.
The exhibition consists of three sections. The first contains publications of the lives of the holy saint. Its latest edition was published in 2012 and was prepared by the sisters of the Polotsk Spaso-Euphrosinievsky Monastery. The Life is unique in that for the first time the Church Slavonic text of the Life from the list of the 16th century. was adapted for reading to the laity. The edition is richly decorated with hallmarks hagiographic icon St. Euphrosyne, painted in our time by the icon painter T. Zhuk.
The second part of the exhibition contains materials on the topic “The meaning of life in the lessons of history,” which help, through touching the pages of history, to learn the life lessons about God left to us by the Venerable Princess Euphrosyne of Polotsk and her faithful followers.
The third part of the exhibition contains publications on the history and illustrations of one of the most important shrines Belarus - the Cross, created in the 12th century by the Polotsk master Lazar Bogsha by order of the Abbess. The department of rare books and documents contains the Vilna edition of the “Western Russian Monthly Book for 1865”, in which in 1864 the article “The Shrine of the City of Polotsk: the Church of the Holy Savior and the Cross of St. Euphrosyne” was published - one of the few pre-revolutionary publications dedicated to the Cross of Euphrosyne Polotsk. In addition, here is an article by Vl. Orlova “Who stole the Kryzh Eufrasinny?” (Adradzhenne: gistarychny almanac. Mn., 1995. Issue 1. pp. 22–36), where the writer sets out his own research on the fate of the Cross and puts forward a hypothesis about its location today. As you know, the shrine of Belarus has not yet been found.
Euphrosyne of Polotsk - the first woman to be canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. By the place of her birth, she belongs to White Rus', that is, Belarus, as the lands of Ancient Rus' between the Dnieper and the Drut are now called. You will learn about the life path of this Saint, her exploits and good deeds by reading this article.
Features of life in Polotsk before the advent of the Mongols
This story should begin with a brief description of the life of the inhabitants of Ancient Rus' in order to understand at what time Euphrosyne of Polotsk, one of the most educated women of her time, was born.
The 12th century was the period when the inhabitants of ancient Rus' began to actively accept Orthodox faith. The new faith began to be reflected in architecture, literature and art.
Orthodox churches were decorated with scenes from the Bible; scriptoriums were opened at many monasteries, where translators from Greek and copyists of books worked; Jewelry workshops have become relevant.
Polotsk itself at that time was one of largest centers for the production of books, as well as great place for those who want to get an education. Chronicles were written here, from which we can now glean knowledge about outstanding personalities that time.
The childhood and adolescence of Saint Euphrosyne
The exact date of birth of the Great Ascetic is unknown. Historians have established that Euphrosyne of Polotsk was born in the world of Predslava, approximately in 1101. The girl's pedigree was similar to that of the noble Rurik family. She was the granddaughter of Vladimir Monomakh himself, as well as the daughter of Prince George of Polotsk.
Predslava’s father took care of his daughter’s education from an early age; she was taught by monks. In the prince's house there was a very large library, where there were many books of both a religious and secular nature. It was in reading that the girl had a great interest. The description of Euphrosyne of Polotsk and her life was taken from chronicles that were written by witnesses of that time.
Among her favorite books were the Holy Scriptures and the Psalter. In addition to reading, the girl prayed often and earnestly. Rumors about a girl wise beyond her years quickly spread far beyond the borders of the land of Polotsk, so many of the noble princes dreamed of such a wife.
Deciding to become a nun
When Predslava was 12 years old, one of the princes took her in marriage. The parents gave their consent, but the girl made a completely different decision. Euphrosyne of Polotsk, whose biography from that moment received a new twist, secretly went to the monastery.
The abbess of this monastery was the widow of her uncle Roman. When the abbess heard a request for permission to take monastic vows, her first decision was to refuse. The girl was still too young and also very beautiful. Yet over time, seeing the passionate prayer, faith and intelligence of Predslava, the abbess gave her consent, not fearing the anger of the girl’s father.
So Euphrosyne became a nun.
tonsure
When she was tonsured, Predslava was given a different name, now she became Euphrosyne. The choice of this name was not accidental. Euphrosyne of Alexandria, who lived in the 5th century, was an excellent example for a girl. In addition, this name means “joy,” so there were several prerequisites for choosing this name.
Euphrosyne's parents were saddened by her decision and made attempts to bring their daughter home. According to the chronicle, Prince George cried for his daughter as if she were dead, but these tears did not change anything. Euphrosyne of Polotsk remained in the monastery, where she surpassed everyone in her zeal for prayer, fasting and night vigils.
Having become a nun, the girl devoted herself to various sciences. She studied the books that she found in church repositories, and these were the works of Slavic theologians, ancient chronicles, as well as the works of Byzantine and Roman enlighteners.
Blessings Saint
Saint Euphrosyne learned about her destiny from a dream. The Angel himself, who appeared in a dream, ordered her to found a new monastery near Polotsk, in an area called Seltso. Having seen such an omen several times, Euphrosyne learned that Bishop Elijah of Polotsk had also seen the same dream. These signs of God led Bishop Elijah to give her the Church of the Transfiguration so that a convent could be founded there.
Euphrosyne of Polotsk can be described as a woman who became famous for the founding and guardianship of monasteries. After all, in addition to convent, she was the trustee and founder of the Bogorodsky Monastery.
The saint opened schools at the monasteries, where novices were taught various crafts, literacy, and the art of copying books.
Euphrosyne became famous as an adviser; she never refused advice to those who needed guidance on the path to faith. The power of her prayer was so great that those who wanted to change and live often turned to her for help. godly life. Many who came to her received spiritual support and help. She was able to calm down the quarrels and showdowns that at that time often occurred between the princes.
Euphrosyne's dream
Venerable Euphrosyne had her own cherished dream- She really wanted to visit the holy places of Palestine. She decided to fulfill this desire, being far in old age.
Previously, the life of Euphrosyne of Polotsk was devoted to rewriting and writing her own books and teachings for the laity, as well as organizing the life of monks at monasteries. Having achieved what was planned, she, leaving the monastery to her sister Evdokia, went on a journey.
On the way to Jerusalem, she met with Patriarch Luke of Constantinople. And having arrived at her destination and visited the Life-Giving Sepulcher of the Lord, she stopped at the Russian Monastery.
It was here that illness overtook her. On May 23, 1173, without being cured, Euphrosyne passed away. According to the saint's will, her body was buried in the monastery of St. Theodosius, not far from Jerusalem.
Since 1187, her relics were kept in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, and in 1910 they were returned to Euphrosyne’s homeland in Polotsk, where they are still located.
Euphrosyne of Polotsk: interesting facts
The saint was a famous philanthropist. She made her efforts to ensure that the Polotsk chronicle was not stopped; took care of the constant replenishment of the library of the St. Sophia Cathedral with new books.
One of the main attractions associated with her name is the cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk. This masterpiece of ancient Russian culture was created by her order and named after her.
The cross had miraculous powers; it was used only in especially solemn services. There is a legend that Ivan the Terrible took the cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk with him on his campaign against Polotsk. He promised that if he won, he would return the relic to its place, and, despite the enormous value of the cross, he kept his word.
Unfortunately, the relic was lost during the Great Patriotic War, but in 1997, according to surviving descriptions, a copy of the cross was made by Brest jewelers.
Euphrosyne was canonized in 1547, and in 1984 she was included in the Council of Belarusian Saints. Since 1994, the day of the saint’s death has become Saint Euphrosyne’s Day and is widely celebrated in Belarus.
She was the daughter of Prince George Vseslavich and his wife Sofia. According to the life of the saint, compiled for the “Chetiy Menaion of Metropolitan Macarius (1481-15631)”, a source very close in time to the life of the saint, it is known that at the age of 12 Predslava, as her parents called her, came to the monastery to her aunt Abbess Romanova and announced her desire to take monastic vows. According to the chronicle, Prince Roman Vseslavich died in 1116; Predslava’s arrival in the monastery, therefore, occurred later, when Roman’s widow herself took on an angelic image and became abbess. Based on these scant data, it can be assumed that Predslava was born in 1102-1104, and her childhood was in 1102-1116.
The life tells that from childhood Predslava showed a great love for book education and heartfelt prayer. When her parents began to think about her marriage, twelve-year-old Predslava answered them: “What will happen if my father wants to give me away in marriage; if so, it will be impossible to get rid of the sadness of this world! What did our generations that came before us do? They got married and went out married, and reigned, but did not live forever, their life passed and their glory perished like dust, worse than a cobweb. But the ancient women, having taken the strength of men, followed Christ, their Bridegroom, and gave up their bodies to wounds, their heads to swords , and others, although they did not bow their necks under iron, but with a spiritual sword cut off carnal pleasures from themselves, gave their bodies to fasting, and vigil, and kneeling, and reclining on the earth - and they are remembered on earth, and their names are written in heaven ", where they, together with the angels, constantly glorify God. And this glory is dust and ashes, as if smoke dissipates, as if water vapor perishes!"
You shouldn’t smile ironically when you read about the twelve-year-old status of the future bride. In those days this was par for the course. “Russian people have the following custom,” wrote the Austrian prince Daniel von Buchau, who visited Rus' in 1578, “girls before reaching adulthood marry at 10 years of age, boys at 12 or 15.” Predslava had a similar opportunity at the age of 12. She once heard her father say to her mother: “It’s too late for us to give Predslava for the prince!” Predslava was horrified: she remembered the books she had read, remembered the speeches of the monastic mentors: the lives of the princes “flow by and the glory of their destruction, like dust and worse than a web...”, this life “is not yours forever”, will not remain for eternity, for the salvation of the soul.
The princess secretly fled to the monastery to the aunt of the abbess, begging her to “rank among the real nuns under the yoke of Christ.” The old abbess was “confused,” the Life narrates, “for she saw “her youth and her blossoming age.”
The abbess, naturally, had other fears - the anger of the father of the twelve-year-old princess. The prince was stern. Undoubtedly, he had his own plans for Predslav; dynastic marriages always had a very important influence on state policy. And then the daughter went against the will of her father. There is no point in attributing such an act to Predslava’s excessive religiosity, although anything could have happened. It is quite possible that the proposed groom was by no means young and handsome, to say the least. Or maybe he had a reputation for being a “blue beard.” There was something to escape from to the monastery. No wonder the aunt was very afraid of the prince’s anger. The reprisal could be quick and merciless. The Life conveys the following dialogue:
“My child!” the abbess exclaimed mournfully, “how can I do this? Your father, having learned, with all anger will put harm on my head, and you are still young in age, you cannot bear the burdens of my life, and how can you leave the reign and glory of the world this?" But the child knew exactly what to desire: “The blessed maiden responded: “To my mistress and mother! Everything visible in this world is red and glorifying, but it will soon pass like a dream! .
Such a reasonable statement of the twelve-year-old girl convinced the abbess: “Wondered at the intelligence of the young woman,” the Life testifies, “surprised at her love for God, the priest commanded the will of her being, announced her, cut her hair and called her name Euphrosyne and clothed her in black robes...” .
The abbess was unable to make such a decision. Bishop Elijah of Polotsk was involved in resolving the dispute. The bishop had great influence on the prince and the matter was amicably settled. With the blessing of Polotsk Bishop Elijah, Euphrosyne began to live at the St. Sophia Cathedral, rewriting books: “she began to write books with her own hands, and gave the profits to those in need.” Probably, talented master bookmakers worked at the cathedral, since the large library kept growing, and to create even one book required the work of an entire workshop and not for a short time.
“In the eyes of educated people,” noted the secretary of the Polish king Stefan Batory, R. Heidenstern, describing the defeat of Polotsk by Batory in 1570, “the library found there had almost no less value than all the other loot. In addition to chronicles, it contained many Greek works Fathers of the Church..." All this was kept in the St. Sophia Cathedral!
Indeed, in the Middle Ages, copying books was very labor-intensive and expensive; books were stored, fearing fires, in stone buildings and most often in temples. Ancient Bulgarian manuscripts, understandable in Rus' without translation, were readily distributed here by Byzantium. In the Kyiv Hagia Sophia, for example, the most valuable library of the Bulgarian Tsar Simeon was located - a trophy of Emperor John Tzimiskes, who captured most of Bulgaria in 972. His son Vasily II the Bulgarian Slayer handed over his father's booty as a dowry to his sister Anna, who married Vladimir the Saint. Ancient Bulgarian books were distributed throughout major cities and monasteries of Rus', but in most cases died in internecine wars and fires. Only in a few cities were books preserved: in Polotsk, in particular, the library was not damaged until the campaign of the Polish king Stefan Batory in 1579.
In 1128, the young nun apparently got bored with printing work and she turned to construction. The Life explains this act simply: “a miracle” and gives the following:
Once in a dream she saw how “an angel led her to Seltso” on the outskirts of Polotsk and said: “This is where you should be!” That same night, an angel appeared to Bishop Elijah, saying: “Lead you, the servant of God Euphrosyne, to the Church of the Holy Savior, called Seltse - that place is holy!”
Bishop Elijah, who also had a similar vision that same night, officially blessed, in the presence of numerous witnesses, the Monk Euphrosyne for the founding of a convent, determining the location of the monastery - Seltso, where there was the Church of the Savior and the burial place of the Polotsk bishops. It can be assumed that, calling Euphrosyne to Seltso, the bishop hoped that she would build a stone church of the Savior and erect a monastery.
The bishops revered the princes of Polotsk: the translation of Euphrosyne and these places was an important decision, which could only be made together with the princely family council. And the council took place: it was attended by the saint’s uncle, Prince Boris Vseslavich of Polotsk, her father and eminent boyars. The speech of Polotsk Bishop Elijah, delivered with all caution, boiled down to the following: “Behold, I give Euphrosyne the place of the Holy Savior with you, so that no one will judge my giving by my belly...”.
The Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, founded by Euphrosyne, becomes widely known in the Polotsk lands. In the monastery, on the site of the former wooden church of Euphrosyne, construction of a stone cathedral began. This cathedral, finally built in 1161, has survived to this day. In the monastery, the saint taught young nuns how to copy books, sing, embroider and other crafts. There are several versions of the tonsure of the Euphrosyne sisters as nuns.
According to one of them, Euphrosyne’s cousin, daughter of Prince Boris Zvenislav, entered this monastery, giving the monastery “all her golden belongings and valuable vestments,” and took monastic vows under the name of Eupraxia. “So they began to live in the monastery in unanimity, in prayers to God; and they were like one soul in two bodies.”
According to another, the first act of the young abbess, judging by the Life, was the tonsure of two sisters Gordislava and Eupraxia in her monastery, which this time caused the violent anger of the parents. “Did I give birth to you in the village,” exclaimed, according to the Life, the indignant father. “Did my mother raise you in the village!”
Different chronicles say different things, but agree on one thing: one of the converts was Eupraxia. This means that this can be taken as a historical fact. Polotsk Holy Transfiguration Monastery
But let's get back to construction. Having completed the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, Euphrosyne began building the Church of the Virgin Mary, at which she opened the monastery of the Virgin Mary. For this monastery and church, the monk acquired, with the permission of Patriarch Luke of Constantinople, the miraculous Hodegetria of Ephesus (icon of the Mother of God), one of three painted, according to legend, by the Evangelist Luke himself (however, various legends and traditions attribute various icons of the Mother of God to the brush of the evangelist). “The king (of Constantinople) saw her love and sent seven hundred of his armorers to Ephesus, and they brought the icon of the Holy Mother of God to Constantinople. Patriarch Luke gathered the bishops and the entire cathedral to St. Sophia and, blessing, gave the icon to the servant of the Venerable Euphrosyne; the same He joyfully took it and brought it to his mistress Euphrosyne." It is not entirely clear which icon is being referred to we're talking about. She appeared so mysteriously and disappeared just as mysteriously. The icon could also have been not from Ephesus, but from Constantinople Mother of God. Unfortunately, the fate of this image is still not entirely known. Some scholars are even inclined to believe that this icon is now known as the Czestochowa icon (the most famous Catholic icon in Poland).
In the monasteries founded by St. Euphrosyne, there were icon-painting workshops. Church items and frames for icons were made there.
Book copying workshops operated under the leadership of Euphrosyne. Pedagogical activity The great ascetic made a significant contribution to the cause of public education. The schools of Euphrosyne of Polotsk were advanced for their time both in terms of training programs and in terms of student composition. The latter were mostly children ordinary people. The style of her address to her disciples is interesting: “Behold, I have gathered you, like a mother hen, her chicks under her wings, into her pasture, like sheep, to feed in the commandments of God, so that I too may teach you with my heart, seeing the fruits of your labor, and such is the rain of teaching to she shed for you; but your fields stand in the same measure, without growing, without rising. And the year is already coming to an end, and the spade lies on the threshing floor! I am afraid that thorns will be in you, and you will be given over to the unquenchable fire! Try, children my, avoid it, become pure wheat, dare in the millstones with humility, prayer and fasting, so that you may be brought clean bread to the table of Christ!”
The pinnacle of Euphrosyne’s organizational activity can rightfully be considered the construction of the stone Church of the Savior in Polotsk.
Where should one look for the architect? The 1120s - 1130s were a time when Rus' already had its own masters: in architecture, applied art, sculpture, painting. Trained by the Byzantines, they dispersed throughout all Russian lands. So in Polotsk, one of these specialists named John was a novice of the Belchitsky monastery. It must be assumed that he learned the art of the architect from those Kyiv masters who, as P.A. found out. Rappoport, were invited by the Vseslavichs to Polotsk, erected a large Assumption Cathedral in the Belchitsky Monastery, and then a “high-rise” stepped temple-tomb of St. George in Solts. As N.N. Voronin showed, the first experiments of Master John - the churches of Saints Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, Boris and Gleb - were carried out precisely in the Belchitsky Monastery.
From some sources it is known that the architect John was able to begin his bold Belchitsky experiments no earlier than the 1140s. It is quite natural that the abbess of the Spassky Monastery began to take a closer look at this architect for a long time and eventually invited him to her monastery to build a new chrome.
According to the Life, construction proceeded quickly. In total it took 30 weeks, that is, 7 and a half months, which indicates a clear organization of construction; The temple was apparently built from April to October.
Researchers often turned to the church of St. Euphrosyne of Polotsk. The building really surprises from the very beginning with its proportions, gable, obviously late ceiling, unusual elongation of the drum... The interior of the church also seemed mysterious, strangely loaded with massive pillars with very thick walls.
The Spassky Church is the pinnacle of architectural thought in the Polotsk land, which influenced all further construction of ancient Russian churches. Its main significance for Russian architecture is that it is “the earliest monument in which new architectural forms were revealed with sufficient certainty, which at the end of the 12th century became characteristic of all Russian architecture: tower-like composition, rich decorative development of the exterior, frequent and very significant discrepancy between external forms and design, subordinate position of internal space in relation to appearance". So write experts who have studied in detail the creation of the Polotsk architect.
After the construction of the Spassky Church, Euphrosyne took care of equipping it with liturgical books and everything necessary. She invited artists who brilliantly painted the walls of the temple with biblical scenes and images of saints. On the choir in a special cell intended for the venerable saint herself, the most rich painting was also done. A special place was reserved for the unique altar cross, which Euphrosyne ordered for her temple from the best jeweler of Kievan Rus, Lazar Bogshe.
Euphrosyne of Polotsk would not have been the first Russian female saint if there had not been so many mysteries and secrets around her. And there were plenty of them.
As we well know, ancient Russian princes very often communicated with each other in writing. These were either letters written on birch bark and sent by special messenger, or letters on parchment, sealed with the prince's seal and sent in the same way. Birch bark reading certificates for the most part were thrown away.
Parchment letters reach us very rarely (the text was erased after reading and, if necessary, written on them again; seals - small lead circles with a ribbon - were torn off and thrown away. Russian princes always had two names: the godfather, given at baptism, and the traditional one, given at birth. On one side of the seal one name was placed, and on the other - a second. This makes it possible to determine which of the princes this seal belonged to.
Among the numerous sphragistic materials (sphragistics is the science of seals), several seals found in different places in Rus' are interesting. These are seals with the names of George and Sophia and with the name of Euphrosyne. These seals were found in Novgorod, Koknesse (ancient Kukenois) and in Polotsk itself. On two of them there is a double-sided image of Saints George and Sophia, on the third - Saint Euphrosyne, on the fourth - another saint, and on the back - an image of the Archangel Michael. Having proved that all these seals belong to women and come from Polotsk (George and Sophia are the father and mother of Euphrosyne), and noting that the seals of women are very rare, and monastic seals are completely unknown, V.L. Yanin was perplexed why the seals from Polotsk were for women? Why did the approval of acts - a male occupation - in Polotsk in the 12th century end up in the hands of women? “What kind of matriarchy is this in a feudal principality?” exclaimed V.L. Yanin.
In 1132-1144, Vasilko Svyatoslavich ruled in Polotsk, whom the Polotsk people placed on the Polotsk throne. If we assume that Euphrosyne’s father George’s name in the world was Svyatoslav, then the conclusion remains that Vasilko, who was not exiled with his parents to Byzantium, was her brother!
Contrary to the tradition established in Rus', the founder of the Polotsk Spassky Monastery and its main organizer, the Venerable Euphrosyne, perhaps thanks to direct contacts with Byzantium and, in particular, with Patriarch Luke Chrysoverkh, felt confident and independent and, if necessary, sent to various cities Rus' and probably to Constantinople, important documents, sealing them with a personal seal.
The Polotsk enlightener decided to end her days in the Holy Places at the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. She was already many years old, and the path to Palestine was not easy. But her decision to “reach the Holy City of Jerusalem and venerate the Holy Sepulcher and all the Holy Places, see and kiss and die there” was firm.
The pilgrimage was on foot, not by water, “from the Varangians to the Greeks.” The convoy traveled 30-40 kilometers a day, stopping with the rulers of neighboring lands, who gave the saint “great honor.” On the way, the venerable pilgrim met the Byzantine emperor, “going to the Ugrians.” It was the warlike Manuel Komnenos (1123-1130), who was marching against the Hungarians. The Byzantine historian Niketas Choniates portrays him to us as a very brave man, the first to rush into battle, not afraid of either mountain or forest crossings, sleeping on brushwood, even without bedding, in the rain, among his warriors. The Emperor received the Polotsk abbess, whom he had long known in absentia, with all cordiality and “sent her to Constantinople with honor.”
The emperor went with soldiers against the Hungarians in 1163-1164. Apparently, the Venerable Euphrosyne went to the Holy Places in 1163, not only rebuilding the Spassky Church, but also putting a unique cross into it (1161).
Having venerated the shrines of Constantinople, she reached Jerusalem, where in a Russian monastery Holy Mother of God and found eternal rest on May 23, 1173.
Around 1187, the body of Saint Euphrosyne was transferred to the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, and in 1910 the saint’s relics were solemnly transported to Polotsk, to the monastery she founded. They were transported along the Dnieper in front of huge crowds of people, and during the stops of the Golovachev steamship, solemn services were held. From Orsha to Vitebsk, and then to Polotsk, believers reverently carried the shrine in their arms. By this time, a refectory church, a bell tower and one of the most beautiful churches in Rus' - the three-altar Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Cross - had been erected on the territory of the monastery.
On May 13, 1922, by order of the “People's Commissariat of Justice of the RSFSR,” the cancer with the relics was opened, then the relics were sent to an atheistic exhibition in Moscow, and from there to Vitebsk, where they were displayed for almost two decades in the local history museum.
During the German occupation, believers transferred the saint’s shrine from the museum to the Holy Protection Church, and on October 23, 1943, the incorruptible relics returned to the Polotsk Spaso-Efrosyne Monastery, where they rest to this day.
Euphrosyne of Polotsk(also found in the form Euphrosyne, probable godname Eupraxia or Paraskeva, worldly name - Predslava(Preface); between and - May 23 or May 25, Jerusalem) - daughter of the Vitebsk prince Svyatoslav Vseslavich, granddaughter of Vseslav Bryachislavich, nun and educator of the period of the Principality of Polotsk.
After reaching adulthood (12 years old), she abandoned dynastic marriage and entered a monastery. Afterwards she settled in the cell of the Polotsk St. Sophia Cathedral, where in the temple scriptorium she copied and possibly translated books and carried out active peacekeeping and educational activities. She built two churches in Polotsk at her own expense, founded women's and men's monasteries near Polotsk, which became the center of education in the Principality of Polotsk (there were schools, libraries, a scriptorium, an almshouse, probably an icon-painting and jewelry workshop). By her order, Lazar Bogsha made a cross. She gave the monastery a wonderful work of Byzantine art - the icon “Our Lady Hodegetria of Ephesus.” In 1167 she died in Jerusalem, making a pilgrimage there, and was buried in the monastery of St. Theodosius.
Date of Birth
There is no documentary evidence left of exact date birth of Euphrosyne. Various scientific works indicate different dates births: starting from 1100 to 1120, some researchers reduce this period to 1101-1104 or 1110-1113. A well-known researcher of the life of E. Polotskaya A. Melnikov considers January 5, 1104 the most likely authoritative date of birth of the saint.
Family
Predslava or Predislava (possible meaning of the name is “ old glory", - in memory of the former greatness of Polotsk) came from a family of princes descended from Izyaslav - the son of Vladimir the Baptist and his wife - Rogneda. Izyaslav’s grandson, the sorcerer-prince Vseslav Bryachislavovich, who won his right to the grand-ducal throne, was Predislava’s grandfather, and her father was the “smaller” (possibly the youngest) of Vseslav’s seven sons, George. It is traditionally believed that George is the godname of Svyatoslav Vseslavich, but it could also belong to Prince Rostislav: the fates of the brothers were very similar, but specific historical information Very little has been preserved about them.
Predislava was the eldest and long-awaited daughter in the family. Prince George, Predislava's father, was the youngest of all his brothers, so he could not own the Principality of Polotsk. Many researchers believe that the city of Vitebsk was allocated to George for reigning and bringing Christian enlightenment, where, it is believed, Predislava was probably born.
According to indirect evidence, the mother was one of the eldest daughters of Vladimir Monomakh, and may have been called Sophia. There is an opinion that through his mother Predislava was a relative of the Byzantine imperial house of Komnenos. Thus, Lev Goroshko states that Predislava’s maternal uncle may have been Manuel I Komnenos, but does not provide any references or arguments. Current historical science information about a close relationship with the house of Komninov considers unlikely.
The preface was not only child In addition to her, the family also had younger sisters and brothers. In the “Life” the hagiographer names their names: younger sister Gordislava Svyatoslavovna and brother David. The chronicle “The Tale of Bygone Years” also talks about Vasilka.
Monastic tonsure
Predslava received a relatively good education at home for that time. At the age of 12, her father wanted to marry her off. The princess, however, abandoned marriage and social life in general, and secretly took monastic vows in the Polotsk Monastery (Life researcher Alexei Melnikov believes that this happened on February 15, 1116). The reasons for this action are unknown.
The abbess of the monastery was the widow of Prince Roman Vseslavich, Predislava's aunt. At first, she was critical of the girl’s decision and, fearing her father’s anger, dissuaded her niece. However, after Predislava’s requests, she blessed her. The father did not approve of his daughter’s choice and dissuaded his daughter. According to the “Life” of Predislav, “the whole house grieved.” Researchers note that Predislava was tonsured in angelic rank not a bishop (as required by the monastic Rules), but an ordinary priest. A. Melnikov explains this by saying that the then Bishop Mina of Polotsk was living out his last days and it was impossible to ask for his blessing in such a delicate situation.
When she was tonsured, the girl received the name Euphrosyne. It is possible that the tonsure took place on September 25, when the church celebrates the day of St. Euphrosyne of Alexandria.
Educational activities
Rewriting books
Some time after her tonsure, the girl moved (between 1118 and 1122, perhaps after the hostilities of 1119) with the help of Bishop Elijah to the dove cell of the St. Sophia Cathedral, where she began to copy books (“I began to write a book with my own hands”) in the scriptorium at the St. Sophia Cathedral library. Copying books was apparently one of her monastic vows.
The writing process was extremely difficult and slow, it was not easy physical work, and it was done exclusively by men. The scribe wrote not on the table, but on the palm of his left hand, with which he rested his elbow on his knee. They wrote on parchment in a pattern - large and straight, without slanting, each letter was separated from the next one. The scribe had to not only know grammar well, but also have artistic abilities, since the initial letters and section headings had to be decorated with animal or plant patterns. In addition, books were often decorated with specially written capital letters, drop caps or initials and miniatures. You could write no more than four pages per day.
According to oral tradition, some historians (Borha and Lastovsky) hypothesized that the chronicle of the Principality of Polotsk, which was in the Polotsk library and which has not survived to this day, was written by the Monk Euphrosyne. However, researchers believe that the information about the writing of Euphrosyne in the Polotsk Chronicle is most likely legendary, unconfirmed.
Construction of temples and monasteries
“Life” tells that one day an angel took Euphrosyne in a dream and brought her to Seltso, two miles from Polotsk, on the banks of the Polota, and said: “This is where you should be!” The dream repeated itself three times. After this, Bishop Ilya of Polotsk, calling on Prince Boris of Polotsk, Father Svyatoslav and other noble Polotsk residents, announced that he was giving Seltso to the nuns.
There, in Seltse, Euphrosyne initiated the construction of the Spassky Women’s Monastery. Around 1133, the construction of the Spassky Cathedral was completed, which became one of the main events of Polotsk architecture of that period (the customer for the construction could have been Prince Vasilko, who returned to his homeland from Byzantium). According to the Life, the church was built in record time for those times - 30 weeks (one construction season). If the builders ran out of building material - plinth, then after Euphrosyne’s prayer the next day a plinth was found in the oven and the cross was raised on the same day (architectural historian and archaeologist M. Voronin believed that the shortage of bricks was caused by the unusual upper parts temples that demanded more building material). The Church of the Holy Savior was built by the famous architect John. The church in Seltse is a three-nave cross-domed church measuring 8x12 meters. Built on the bank of the Chamber, the temple stood on the site of the old residence of the Polotsk bishops (the legendary appearance (sign) of an angel and the blessing of the bishop probably date back to the night of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on August 6, 1126), and Euphrosyne was then elevated to the rank of abbess of this monastery. Today it is the only temple in Belarus where paintings from the 12th century have been preserved.
Calling sisters to monasticism
Sisters became Euphrosyne’s assistants: her own Gordislava and her cousin Zvenislava.
Euphrosyne, who was the abbess at that time, asked her father to send her younger sister to teach her to read and write; and then secretly tonsured her as a nun. The father, having learned about this, came to Seltso in great despair, cried bitterly and did not want to give his second daughter to a nun. Gordislava's tonsure took place no later than 1129.
In the same 1129, or maybe even in 1128, soon after the death of her father, following Gordislava, Euphrosyne’s cousin Zvenislava Borisovna entered the monastery. Zvenislava herself came to Euphrosyne and brought her rich dowry as a gift to the temple. Having received the name Eupraxia after tonsure, she was especially close to Euphrosyne - “like one soul in two bodies.” Later, Eupraxia took Euphrosyne's place and became abbess, continuing her sister's educational activities.
Just before leaving, against the will of her brother, she tonsured his daughters Olga and Kiriyana into monasticism. “Life” claims that Euphrosyne had a gift from God: looking at someone, she immediately saw whether that person had a virtuous spirit and whether he could become God’s chosen one.
Icon of the Mother of God of Polotsk
The name of Euphrosyne is associated with the acquisition by the Polotsk St. Sophia Cathedral of the icon of the Mother of God of Ephesus. At that time, only three such images existed, and it was believed that during the life of the Mother of God these icons were painted by the Evangelist Luke. Euphrosyne sent the servant Michael to the Byzantine Emperor Manuel (who could be a relative of the nun) and Patriarch Luke Chrysovergus in Constantinople for an icon of the Holy Mother of God of Ephesus for the Mother of God Monastery. Many historians are surprised that the ambassador was sent not by the Polotsk bishop, but by the abbess herself, and they believe that in the 12th century the highest ecclesiastical, and partly secular, power belonged to the abbess of the Polotsk monasteries.
Most modern researchers believe that in fact, copies of the Constantinople (and not Ephesus) Hodegetria and relics were sent to Polotsk, and the journey for the icon itself took place between 1156 and 1160. In 1239 (according to other sources, in the 16th century) the icon was brought into the Resurrection Church of Toropets. Now the icon is kept in the collections of the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, in 2009 it was temporarily moved to the Church of Alexander Nevsky in Princely Lake.
Cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk
Euphrosyne of Polotsk's educational activities also include the opening of an icon-painting and jewelry workshop. In 1161, Euphrosyne ordered the local craftsman Lazar Bogshe to make an altar cross with relics, which later became known as the Cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk. The relic became a Belarusian national shrine and at the same time a monument to Old Belarusian writing.
The cross was an ark for storing Christian relics. It was six-pointed, 52 cm high, the length of the upper crossbar was 12 cm, the lower one was 21 cm, and the thickness was 2.5 cm. The base of the cross was cypress wood, covered with gold and precious stones.
The cross was kept in the Church of the Holy Savior until the beginning of the 13th century, after which it was first transported to Smolensk, from there in 1514 by Ivan III to Moscow, but was returned to his homeland by Ivan the Terrible. During the war of 1812, the cross was hidden in the wall of the St. Sophia Cathedral in a walled niche, and in 1841 it was returned to the Church of the Savior.
In 1921, the cross was confiscated by the Soviet authorities. In 1928, the director of the Belarusian State Museum V. Lastovsky took the cross from Polotsk to Minsk, and the next year he transferred it to the Belarusian Museum in Mogilev, about which an act was drawn up. The act of 1929 testifies to the great artistic losses of the cross: 13 images of saints were broken or damaged, only two of the precious stones remained - amethyst and garnet, from different parts Pieces of gold and pearl beads have disappeared from the monument, and traces of unsuccessful repair attempts are visible.
The cross was finally lost in 1941 during the retreat of the Red Army from Mogilev.
The post-war search for the cross was unsuccessful, so in 1997 it was made by Brest master Nikolai Kuzmich exact copy cross, which is kept in Polotsk in the Church of Euphrosyne of Polotsk.
Pilgrimage to Jerusalem
At the end of her life, Euphrosyne prepared to go on a long journey to Jerusalem, which was received with alarm by the Polotsk residents. To say goodbye to Euphrosyne, the brothers Vasilek, Vyacheslav and David arrive at the Polotsk Monastery. Beloved brother Vyacheslav arrives with two daughters - Kiryana and Olga, whom he introduces to his sister and asks for a blessing, which testifies to the great honor with which Euphrosyne was rewarded during her life, and then fulfills Euphrosyne's will so that his two daughters remain in obedience in the monastery. Euphrosyne transfers the abbess over the monasteries to her sister Evdokia.
Having received the blessing of Bishop Dionysius, she went with her brother David and cousin Eupraxia, first to Constantinople, then to the Holy Land. It is possible that at the same time Euphrosyne also carried out a church-diplomatic mission, and on the lands of Rus' through which she passed - a peacekeeping mission. The journey itself was overland, and not the traditional route “from the Varangians to the Greeks,” otherwise the princess’s meeting with Emperor Manuel would have been impossible.
It was probably at the end of April 1167 that Euphrosyne reached Jerusalem. Jerusalem belonged to the crusaders, they were ruled by Amalrich I, who was a distant relative of Euphrosyne - through his wife French king Henry I Anna, who was the daughter of Yaroslav the Wise. In Jerusalem, Euphrosyne went to the Holy Sepulcher. A few days later she fell ill and sent her brother and sister to the Jordan to fetch holy water.
After her appearance, Euphrosyne began preparations for her death. She sends the Sanctified One to the ancient Lavra of Savva with a request to be buried in the monastery church. However, the Lavra was a monastery and women were not accepted there. A. A. Melnikov rightly asserts that the desire to be buried in the monastery of St. Sava was the result of the inheritance of Euphrosyne of Polotsk by the life of Euphrosyne of Alexandria, who lived her life under the guise of the monk Izmaragd and was buried in the monastery. Having received a refusal, Euphrosyne sends a servant to buy a coffin in the chamber of the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the monastery of Theodosius the Great.
Impact on public life
It is believed that Euphrosyne had a significant influence on the political and social life in Polotsk in the middle of the 12th century. It was a kind of banner of the Polotsk residents’ struggle for their independence.
In the 12th century, there was an intensive process of feudal disintegration, new principalities were formed, the leaders of which waged a fierce struggle for power. The princes of Polotsk, Vitebsk, the princes of Minsk, and Slutsk were at enmity not only with each other, but also opposed their Kyiv relatives. Euphrosyne, with all her spiritual makeup, was the creator of mutual understanding between people and the defender of peace. At the Rurik settlement in Novgorod, a seal of Euphrosyne was found, which confirmed the great role of the princess-abbess in the political life of the principality. Through the veche she could influence the appointment of bishops and the invitation of princes. In 1132, Polotsk deprived the Kyiv protege of Svyatopolk of power and chose him as prince sibling nuns Vasilka. The princess may have had something to do with the events of 1151, when the Polotsk veche refused to trust Rogvolod-David; and before the events of 1158, when the Polovtsians again wanted to see Rogvolod at their post. Strife in the Polotsk region continued in 1162, and then in 1167. “Life” says that Euphrosyne did not want to see anyone as enemies: “Neither prince with prince, nor boyars with Boyars, nor servant with servant - but she wanted to have everyone, as if she had one soul.”
After death
Church veneration
Euphrosyne was buried in the Feodosievsky Jerusalem Monastery, and after the capture of the city by Muslims, in 1187 the coffin was moved and buried in the Feodosievsky Cave of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. According to legend, the monks were going to move the shrine to Polotsk, but they were prevented by the enmity of the Kyiv and Polotsk princes. There is another opinion that Euphrosyne’s last will could have been burial in the monastery of St. Theodosius, which was the reason that the remains were left in Kyiv, in the Theodosius Cave, and not returned to Polotsk. Another reason could be that Euphrosyne’s educational activities could not be entirely canonical in nature, and her church activities could be aimed, on the basis of her high origin, bypassing the church hierarchy, to increase the independence of Polotsk in church affairs. This could have been the cause of conflicts between Euphrosyne and the church authorities, the real reason why the remains of Euphrosyne were left in Kyiv and not returned to Polotsk.
Church veneration in the Polotsk land began already at the end of the 12th century. Already at this time there was a church service of the Venerable Euphrosyne of Polotsk and a hagiographic “Life” (probably created in one of the monasteries founded by Euphrosyne). Church veneration by the 16th century. had only a local character, and in Muscovite Rus', before inclusion in the Makaryevsky lists, the name of Euphrosyne was almost not known. However, at the Makaryev Councils of 1547 and 1549, official canonization did not occur. The general service of the saint was approved by the Russian Orthodox Church only relatively recently - in 1893.
At the beginning of the twentieth century. Information appeared in the press about the canonization of Euphrosyne by Pope Gregory X at the Second Council of Lyons in 1274. There is no documentary evidence of this, but according to tradition, Euphrosyne is recognized as a saint by both the Catholic and Uniate churches.
Return of the relics to Polotsk
In 1858, during the reign of Emperor Alexander II, the residents of Polotsk petitioned for the transfer of the relics of Euphrosyne; in 1864, the petition was supported by the Governor-General of the North-Western Territory, Muravyov. And only in 1871, Bishop Savva of Polotsk ensured that part of the relics was delivered to the Spassky Monastery.
Permission for the final transfer of the relics was received only from Emperor Nicholas II. The remains themselves, with the exception of the symbolic part, were transferred to the Spaso-Efrosyne Monastery in 1910. The healing properties of the remains were also declared. The transfer took place very solemnly, the relics were accompanied by famous religious and government officials of Russia. On the day of the ascetic’s death - May 23 (June 5) - the incorruptible remains were brought to the Spassky Cathedral and placed in a specially made cypress shrine, lined with silver. Believers donated 12 thousand rubles for cancer.
The shrine was made by the Moscow manufacturer Meshkov according to the design and drawings of the artist Pavel Zykov. There were capitals at the corners of the crayfish, and on the front side there was an exact copy of the ancient bas-relief that was on the coffin of Euphrosyne in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. On the coffin there was a full-length icon of Euphrosyne of Polotsk in a supine position.
The cancer of Euphrosyne of Polotsk disappeared in the 20s of the 20th century. The restored shrine was made by artist Nikolai Kuzmich (who also restored the Cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk) and was consecrated on June 5, 2007. After the consecration ceremony, Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk Filaret awarded the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko with the Order of St. Vladimir, 1st degree.
The new shrine is a small ark and has dimensions of 210 x 120 x 90 cm. The maple frame is lined with silver plates and decorated with bronze golden bas-reliefs. The images differ from the original original. The side bas-reliefs depict the most important moments in the abbess’s biography: the moment of the founding of the Church of the Savior and the transfer of her remains from Jerusalem to Kyiv. The back side shows thirteen Belarusian saints and Euphrosyne herself. At the heads there is a cast cross in radiance and the inscription “interlocutor of angels”, at the feet there is an image of Polotsk of the 12th century. Along the perimeter there is an ornament of colored enamels and vines. In the upper part of the shrine, Euphrosyne is shown in full height. The robe, mantle and schema of the saint are made of silver. The new cancer is not a copy former crayfish, but an independent author's work by M. Kuzmich.
Opening of the relics of Euphrosyne of Polotsk
During the evacuation in World War I in 1915, the remains were transferred to the Rostov Abraham Monastery. In February 1919, the People's Commissariat of Justice of the USSR adopted a resolution according to which an organized opening of holy relics was carried out throughout the country. There, in Rostov in 1920, the tomb was opened, and on May 13, 1922, already in Polotsk, it was opened again, the remains were sent to an atheistic exhibition in Moscow, and from there to the exposition of the Vitebsk Museum of Local Lore. All valuables that were with the remains, including a 40-pound silver crayfish, were confiscated.
During the German occupation, believers transferred the remains to the Holy Intercession Church, and after October 23, 1943, the remains were returned to the Spaso-Euphrosyne Monastery, where they remain to this day.
Reverence
Local veneration of Euphrosyne of Polotsk dates back to the 14th century. The texts of the iconographic originals are laconic: “Oki of Evdokia.” The half-length image of the saint on the icon “Russian Saints” (1814) is on a par with Euphrosyne of Suzdal. Only at the beginning of the 20th century did the Old Russian princess and abbess, the founder of two monasteries in Polotsk, receive real glory. On the pillars of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv, the famous artist Viktor Vasnetsov placed it opposite St. Evdokia.
In the lists of the 16th-18th centuries. Church hymns about Euphrosyne of Polotsk have been preserved. One stichera is known from a manuscript of the late 12th century, which is a unique monument of the musical culture of the early Middle Ages in Belarus.
Orthodox churches in the name of Euphrosyne of Polotsk exist in London, South River (near New York, USA), Toronto. In Belarus there was the Ivenets St. Euphrosyne Church (built in 1914, destroyed in 1951), and was also built in the 1990s new church of the same name. In Minsk, on Pritytskogo Street, in the late 1990s, a church was built in honor of Euphrosyne of Polotsk.
In 1992, Euphrosyne of Polotsk Street appeared in Polotsk, and in 2000 a monument to the famous Polotsk woman was erected (sculptor Igor Golubev). Since 2010, Euphrosyne Polotskaya Street has been in Minsk, and in 2012, Euphrosyne Polotskaya Street appeared in Slonim.
"Life"
The “Life” was probably compiled by a monk from the monastery of the Holy Mother of God. In the work, the author glorifies a persistent and selfless woman, her desire for knowledge and spiritual perfection, conveys in strict chronological order true historical facts, information about Polotsk, its cultural life, and the life of the princely family. In “The Life of the Venerable Euphrosyne of Polotsk” there is no story about posthumous miracles, which is usual for hagiography.
In art
The image of Euphrosyne was embodied by Olga Ipatova in the story “Predislava”; she also appears in the novels “Saints and Sinners” by Alexander Osipenko and “The Called” by Valentin Kovtun.
Many Belarusian poets Vladimir Orlov (“Euphrosyne”), Oleg Bembel (“Region of Euphrosyne”), Grigory Borodulin (“In the Polotsk Church of the Savior Euphrosyne”), Danuta Bichel-Zagnetova (“Euphrosyne of Polotsk”), Naum dedicated their poems to the Belarusian enlightener Galperovich (“I’ll freeze my eyelashes, and the evening will float”), Larisa Geniyush (“Euphrosyne of Polotsk”, “I’ll go to the mountains under your wounds”), Sergey Zakonnikov (“Light of Euphrosyne”), Alexander Zvonak (“Shadow of Euphrosyne”), Vasily Zuenok (“The Last Prayer of Euphrosyne of Polotsk”, “Looking for God”), Oleg Loiko (“Euphrosyne of Polotsk”), Valentin Luksha (“Frescoes of Saint Euphrosyne”), Alexander Ryazanov (“Warning”), Lyudmila Rublevskaya (“Euphrosyne”), Victor Shnip (“Christ’s Bride”), Sergei Poniznik (“Confession”), Leonid Dranko-Maisyuk (“Euphrosyne”).
The famous Polotsk woman is reflected on the canvases of Nelly Schastnaya, Alexey Marochkin, Alexey Kuzmich, on the graphic sheets of Arlen Kashkurevich, on the tapestry of Simon Svistunovich.
Notes
- Church calendar Cherven 2014 Information resource of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church
- , With. 32.
- , With. 99.
- Previously, there was an opinion about the year of death - 1173, but now this date is considered unlikely.
- , With. 52.
- , With. eleven.
- , With. 45-47.
- , With. 10.
- , With. 35.
- , With. 19.
- A. A. Melnikov, with reference to the opinion of V. L. Yanin, believes, on the basis of the then tradition of giving a monastic name, the same in the first letter with the secular one, that that daughter of Monomakh Sophia, who was married to a Hungarian prince and later accepted monasticism, actually had name Elena (church. Euphemia and Elena, see, p. 31-32
- , With. 10.
- , With. 20.
- P. Brygadzin. Materials on the history of Belarus. - 1997.
- , With. 42-48.
- , With. 40-41.
- , With. 58.
- , With. 43.
- , With. 12.
- , With. 48.
- , With. 54-55.
- , With. 100.
- , With. 70-72.
- Syalitski A. Mysteries of the Polack Temple // Art. - 2008. - Issue. 2.
- , With. 58.
- , With. 67.
- , With. 31.
- , With. 13.
- , With. 61-62.
- , With. 109.
- , With. 98-99.
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