On the territory of Belarus, near the village of Gnesichi, which is located on the right bank of the Neman River, there is an old St. Eliseevsky Lavrishevsky Monastery, founded, as is commonly believed, no later than 1260. For several centuries, its historical and spiritual significance was so great that a hundred years later it began to be called the Lavra. Let us dwell briefly on the history of this monastery.
Monk at the head of the principality
The honor of founding the St. Elisey Lavrishevsky Monastery is attributed to the young voivode Voyshelok, whose father, Mindovg, went down in history as the founder of the first dynasty of Lithuanian princes. Not wanting to defile his soul with worldly fuss, he took monastic vows with the name Lavrentiy and, having retired to the wilderness, settled on the banks of the Neman River in a wretched cell built with his own hands. Gradually other seekers of the holy life began to join him. That is how, according to the Galiuk-Volyn Chronicle, between 1257 and 1260, the Lavryshevsky St. Eliseevsky Monastery was founded.
However, the pious monk was not destined to live far from the world for long. In 1263, his father, who ruled the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, was killed, and Lavrenty, having left the monastery he founded, pacified the rebellion that had engulfed the state. Having restored order in the orphaned principality, he headed it from 1264 to 1267, combining state activity with monastic service. Only after life returned to its former course, Lavrenty handed over the reign to his successor, the Grand Duke Shvarn, and he himself went to the Volyn lands, where he joined the brethren of the Ugrov Monastery. He never returned to his monastery, and there is no exact information about the date of his death.
Meanings of the main names
As for the name of the St. Elisey Lavrishevsky Monastery founded by him, according to researchers, it comes from his monastic name Lavrentiy, which sounds like Lavrish in Lithuanian reading. From him came the name of the surrounding area - Lavrishevo, as well as the monastery built in it.
It should also be clarified which saint of God is mentioned in the name of Lavrishevsky St. Eliseevsky Monastery. From chronicle texts of the late 13th and early 14th centuries it is known that the name of Elisha was the name of the first rector of the monastery, who headed it after the departure of Lawrence, and subsequently canonized for great deeds of piety.
The hearth of spirituality and culture
For the century that has elapsed since then, the number of brethren of Lavrishevsky St. Eliseevskythe monastery increased so much that already in the documents of 1365 it was called the Lavra. Note that only the largest monasteries, which were recognized centers of spiritual life, were awarded such an honor. At the same time, the famous Lavryshev Gospel was created within its walls, the illustrations of which are a true masterpiece of medieval book miniatures.
The importance of the Lavrishevsky St. Eliseevsky Monastery in the formation of the culture of the region and the enlightenment of the masses is evidenced by the fact that by the beginning of the 16th century, the only school in the district for peasant children operated in it and a library was opened containing over 300 volumes. The documents of that era also speak of a highly developed monastery economy, which included a printing house, a stable and a number of different workshops.
Unfortunate fact
This fertile period in the history of the monastery was ended by two raids of the Tatars, as well as upheavals associated with the Livonian War of 1558 - 1583. During several decades of the 16th century, it was looted several times and burned to the ground. As a result, the number of brethren was reduced to five people, headed by the last rector of that period, Hieromonk Leonty (Akolov). The following centuries did not bring significant improvements to the life of Lavrishevsky St. Eliseevsky Monastery, and in 1836 it was abolished by the decision of the Holy Synod.
Effort wasted
The first attempt to revive the once glorious LavrishevskyThe Holy Eliseevsky Monastery was undertaken at the beginning of the 20th century, and it is associated with the name of Archbishop Mitrofan (Krasnopolsky), who was shot in 1919 by the Bolsheviks, and during the time of perestroika, he was canonized as a holy great martyr.
On his initiative, the Holy Synod issued a corresponding decree and allocated the necessary funds for the work. However, this good undertaking was not crowned with success. During the First World War, the monastery was in the war zone and all its buildings burned down. In subsequent years, the restoration of the monastery was out of the question, since the Bolsheviks who came to power elevated militant atheism to the rank of state policy.
Revival of Lavrishevsky St. Eliseevsky Monastery
Only with the advent of the fertile times of perestroika, when the state's attitude to religious issues radically changed, did a real opportunity arise to implement the project conceived by the New Martyr Mitrofan. In 1997, the inhabitants of the nearby village of Gnesichi officially registered an Orthodox parish, which received at their disposal the church that was soon erected, and ten years later, when the bulk of the construction work was completed, a new, already third Lavrishevsky St. Eliseevsky Monastery was established. Today, on its territory stands a monument to the first rector - the holy reverend Elisha.
Today, located on the territory of Belarus, near the village of Gnesichi, the St. Eliseevsky Lavrishevsky Monastery is againbecame one of its leading spiritual centers, annually attracting hundreds of thousands of pilgrims. For them, two comfortable European-style hotels "Gostiny Dvor" and "Monastyrskaya Usadba" were built on the territory of the monastery, in which visitors can relax from the road and gather their thoughts before visiting holy places. For those who, once in the monastery, want to plunge into the atmosphere of monastic asceticism, there are two separate houses for pilgrims for men and women.
Reviews of visitors to the monastery
The opinions of those who, having visited the monastery, considered it their duty to leave reviews about it in the pilgrimage book or use the relevant Internet resources for this purpose, are very remarkable. So, among the variety of opinions expressed, I would like to single out those that emphasize deep gratitude to people who managed to revive a shrine from non-existence that survived centuries and then died in the fire of wars and social upheavals.
Many kind words were also said about the main church of the Lavrishevsky St. Eliseevsky Monastery, built in 2007 and consecrated in honor of the first rector - the Monk Elisha. Most reviews note the adherence of its creators to the traditions of antiquity, embodied in modern architectural solutions.
Judging by the records left, the archaeological excavations carried out near the monastery, at the place where its first buildings appeared seven and a half centuries ago, are of great interest to visitors. Many, mined from the earth,artifacts are shown to visitors, and help them get to know the history of past centuries. First of all, this refers to two ancient sarcophagi discovered at the site of a nearby monastery cemetery.
