The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Minsk is the center of the spiritual life of Belarus and its capital. There are only four aisles in the temple. The southern one is dedicated to the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The throne of the northern aisle was consecrated in honor of the Great Martyr Barbara. The crypt (lower) chapel is dedicated to the holy equal-to-the-apostles brothers Cyril and Methodius. The throne of the main chapel was consecrated in the name of the Descent of the Holy Spirit. The cathedral can be considered not only an important religious building, but also a striking architectural monument. There is a bookstore at the temple.
Service Schedule
Services are held daily in the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk. On weekdays and on Saturdays, the service begins at 8.40 with reading hours. Mass begins at 9:00. On Sundays, as well as on the days of temple, great and twelfth feasts, two Divine Liturgies are held - early and late. Services start at 7 am and 10 am respectively. Those wishing to confess must arrive half an hour before the start of the liturgy. Akathists are sung every day, except Sunday, at 17.00. Evening services begin at 18.00.
Missionary work and charity
In addition to its main purpose, the temple serves as a charitable and educational center. The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Minsk is the base for the Sunday school, the brotherhood of John the Theologian, the sisterhood of St. Sophia of Princess Slutsk and the brotherhood of the holy unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian of Rome. The brotherhoods are mainly engaged in missionary work and charity. Their target audience is youth. The Sisterhood brings together Orthodox women who provide spiritual assistance to those in need in hospitals.
There are three groups in Sunday school: for toddlers 5-7 years old, for children 8-11 years old and an older youth group. Also, classes for parents are held on the basis of the school, a library has been created, a children's liturgy is regularly served for the pupils of the Sunday school, as well as their mothers and fathers. There are circles at the school: choral and needlework.
Pilgrimage
One of the main goals for Orthodox pilgrims in the capital of Belarus is the Cathedral of the Descent of the Holy Spirit. Minsk for a pilgrim is 27 temples, and the central church of the city is one of the largest. Among the main shrines of the cathedral are the relics of St. Sophia, Princess of Slutsk, and icons:
- Minsk Mother of God;
- St. Martyr Princess Ludmila;
- Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth and Nun Barbara.
The main shrine of the temple and one of the most valuable shrines of Belarus is the Minsk icon of the Mother of God. Here is her story. AmongNumerous church utensils and shrines brought from Korsun to Kyiv by Grand Duke Vladimir included a miraculous image of the Mother of God, presumably written by the Apostle Luke. In 1500, Kyiv was taken by the Tatars, and one of them, tearing off the robe from the icon, threw it into the river. After some time, she landed on the banks of the Svisloch River. In 1616 it was transferred to Minsk. Since then, the icon has received the name of this city. This image has been in the main cathedral of the Belarusian capital since 1945.
St. Sophia, Princess Slutskaya, being a convinced Orthodox Christian, was forced to marry a Catholic - Prince Janusz Radzwill. The condition on which the young Sophia agreed to the marriage was the upbringing of the children born of him in the Orthodox faith. The marriage was not happy, God did not send children. The princess was consoled only by faith in the Lord. Four years before her wedding, in 1596, a church union (association) with Rome was declared. Through the efforts of St. Sophia, Slutsk received a charter from the Polish king, which forbade forcing the Orthodox to unite on the territory of this city. Thanks to this letter, they managed to keep their faith undefiled. In 1612, at the age of 26, the princess died from her first childbirth. Her relics lie at the left wall of the temple.
History of the Cathedral before the Revolution
The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Minsk is located on the site of the former Orthodox male Cosmo-Damian Monastery, built at the beginning of the 15th century. After a fire at the beginning of the 17th century, a Bernardine church (Catholic monastic church) was built in its place. Order), which later became the building of the main cathedral of the capital of Belarus. Construction continued from 1633 to 1642. In 1652 a stone monastery complex was built. The temple survived multiple fires and subsequent reconstructions. The Bernardine Monastery existed until 1852. The building was abandoned for some time.
"Everything returns to normal", and in 1860 the temple was returned to the Orthodox Church, partially repaired and consecrated in the name of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Brothers Methodius and Cyril. Divine services for students of the seminary were held here for several years. Soon the monastery was closed for major repairs, which ended in January 1870. The main throne was dedicated to the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, and the right chapel was consecrated in the name of Cyril and Methodius. The temple operated until 1918, until it was closed by the Bolsheviks.
Modern history
The Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk managed to visit both a gym for a fire brigade, an archive, and a transit prison for "dispossessed" peasants. In 1938, the following event took place, which can be called a miracle. During the rally, one of the speakers said that he would not leave the place until the decision was made to demolish the temple. He was already taken away from the rally with broken legs. The speaker stumbled as he descended from the podium. The church was saved from demolition, as the authorities were afraid to touch it. In 1942, the temple reopened. During the war, the priests of the cathedral provided assistance to people in hospitals, the disabled and orphans, and helped to reopen churches. In 1945, the icon of the Mother of God of Minsk was transferred to the cathedral. The northern chapel, consecrated in the name of the Great Martyr Barbara, was built in 1953. After 15 years, the southern chapel appeared in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Minsk became the main temple of the city in 1961.
