This year, the Holy Euphrosyne Monastery in Polotsk celebrates its 900th anniversary

900-летие со дня основания в этом году празднует Спасо-Евфросиниевский монастырь в Полоцке

June 3, 2025

The Spaso-Yefrosinievsky Monastery in Polotsk Celebrates its 900th Anniversary this Year

The Spaso-Yefrosinievsky Monastery in Polotsk is one of the leading spiritual centers of Orthodoxy and one of the oldest monasteries preserved since the 12th century in Eastern Europe.

The 900th anniversary of the monastery will be celebrated on June 4-5. The visit of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' to Polotsk is expected.

On June 3 from 4:00 PM to 5:50 PM and on June 4 from 3:00 PM to 4:50 PM, events of the project "Glorifying the Name of Euphrosyne" by the Polotsk Diocese and the Main Department for Education of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee will take place on Freedom Square. It is a series of creative programs. Students and teachers from educational institutions of the regions within the structure of the Polotsk Diocese will perform for guests and residents of the city with numbers on the theme of spirituality and morality, and civic-patriotic education.

On June 4 at 1:00 PM, the honored collective of the Republic of Belarus "Brest Puppet Theatre" will present the play "Euphrosyne of Polotsk. Holy Letters" at the Polotsk Culture Center. The play was created with the support of a Presidential grant and is dedicated to one of the most famous patron saints of the Belarusian land – the venerable abbess Euphrosyne of Polotsk. The production is based on the life story of the nun, documentary materials on the history of the Principality of Polotsk, and folk legends.

The text also includes separate fragments of the writings of saints.

At 5:30 PM, the presentation of the documentary film "The Abode of Saint Euphrosyne" will take place at the Polotsk City House of Culture. On the same day, services will begin at the Spaso-Yefrosinievsky Monastery. At 2:30 PM, a minor vespers with an akathist to the venerable Euphrosyne will be held, and at 5:00 PM, the all-night vigil.

On June 5, a divine service will traditionally be held in St. Sophia Cathedral (8:30 AM - 10:40 AM). Following its conclusion, a procession will proceed to the Holy-Transfiguration Convent of Polotsk (10:40 AM - 11:30 AM), where a prayer service will take place. On the same day, at 10:00 AM, Polotsk convent will welcome His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia