Euphrosyne of Polatsk

Euphrosyne of Polatsk

Euphrosyne (sometimes spelled Eŭfrasińnia, Efrasinnia) of Polatsk (or Połacak, Polotsk) ( _be. Эўфрасі́ньня По́лацкая) (1110 – 1173) was the granddaughter of a prince of Polacak, Usiasłaŭ.

She refused all proposals of marriage and, without her parents' knowledge, ran away to the convent of which her aunt was the abbess and became a nun. Later she founded her own convent. She spent her time copying books, and the money she thus earned she distributed amongst the poor. She also built two churches, and one, the church of The Holy Saviour, still stands today and is considered to be the most precious monument of early Belarusian architecture. Towards the end of her life, she undertook a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where she died sometime after 1167. Her body, after the conquest of Jerusalem by Saladin in 1187, was carried by the monks to Kiev and deposited there in the Monastery of the Caves. It was only in 1910 that the relics of the saint were brought back to her native town of Polatsk.

Euphrosyne is the only East Slav virgin saint.Fact|date=February 2007 The cross of Saint Euphrosyne was a splendid gem-studded cross created at her behest by a local master, Łasar Bohša (Лазар Богша). The famous six-armed golden cross was decorated with enamels and precious stones and presented by her to the church of the Holy Saviour in 1161. Of exquisite beauty, the relic survived centuries of turbulence until World War II, when it mysteriously disappeared during the evacuation of the museum in 1941. Most probably it was stolen by a Soviet soldier, or possibly by a German. In its attempts to trace the whereabouts of this treasure, the government of the Republic of Belarus has looked virtually everywhere, examining even private collections in the United States.

ee also

*Dvina stones


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Euphrosyne de Polatsk — Euphrosyne de Polotsk Euphrosyne de Polotsk Euphrosyne (parfois appelée Eŭfrasińnia, Efrasinnia) de Polotsk (biélorusse : Эўфрасіньня Полацкая) (Polotsk, 1110 – Jérusalem, 1173) est la petite fille du prince Vseslav de Kiev et cousine de l… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Euphrosyne — may refer to:* 31 Euphrosyne, one of the largest main belt asteroids * Boloria euphrosyne, a butterfly * Euphrosyne (mythology), Greek goddessPeople named Euphrosyne:* Euphrosyne (9th century), Byzantine Empress * Euphrosyne Angelina, daughter of …   Wikipedia

  • Cross of Saint Euphrosyne — 1889 reproduction of the Polotsk Cross The Cross of Saint Euphrosyne was a revered rel …   Wikipedia

  • List of Belarus-related topics — This is a list of topics related to Belarus. Those interested in the subject can monitor changes to the pages by clicking on Related changes in the sidebar.Belarus* Belarus * Belarusian diplomatic missionsCommunications in Belarus* Communications …   Wikipedia

  • History of Belarus — This article describes the history of Belarus. The Belarusian ethnos is traced at least as far in time as other East Slavs. After an initial period of independent feudal consolidation, Belarusian lands were incorporated into the Grand Duchy of… …   Wikipedia

  • List of saints — This article is about Christian saints after 450 AD. For Christian saints before this time, see List of early Christian saints. For a list of venerated persons in Mahayana Buddhism, see List of bodhisattvas. This is an incomplete list of… …   Wikipedia

  • May 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) — May 22 Eastern Orthodox Church calendar May 24 All fixed commemorations below celebrated on June 5 by Old Calendarists Contents 1 Saints 1.1 Other commemorations 2 Notes 3 …   Wikipedia

  • 1110 — Events* December 4 First Crusade: The Crusaders conquer Sidon. * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor invades Italy. * The Russian Primary Chronicle ends. * Construction begins on Fontevraud Abbey in France. * Beirut and Sidon are captured by the… …   Wikipedia

  • Chapel — For other uses, see Chapel (disambiguation). Littlejohn Memorial Chapel, an example of a school chapel at Scotch College, Melbourne …   Wikipedia

  • Cross of Lorraine — This article is about the symbol. For the film, see The Cross of Lorraine. The Cross of Lorraine (French: Croix de Lorraine) is originally a heraldic cross. The two barred cross consists of a vertical line crossed by two smaller horizontal bars.… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”