MINSK, 11 August (BelTA) - Celebrations dedicated to the 525th anniversary of the discovery of the Minsk Icon of the Mother of God will be held in the capital of Belarus on 26 August, BelTA learned from the official website of the Belarusian Orthodox Church (BOC).
The central event will be the Divine Liturgy in front of the Holy Spirit Cathedral. It will be led by Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, the Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus and concelebrated by the bishops and clergy of the BOC.
The divine service will be preceded by a welcome ceremony for the All-Belarusian Cross Procession which will begin at the Holy Dormition Monastery in Zhirovichi on 18 August. In nine days the procession will visit 21 churches in four eparchies and will cover about 250km. The final section will pass from the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God to the Holy Spirit Cathedral.
The Minsk Icon of the Mother of God is one of the main and most revered Orthodox shrines of the Belarusian land. Legend has it that it was found in 1500 on the waters of the Svisloch River. Since then, the Icon has been housed in the city of Minsk. Parishioners have always treated the Icon with great reverence, managed to preserve it during the persecution of religion and during the Great Patriotic War. In 1945, the Icon of the Mother of God was transferred to the Holy Spirit Cathedral, where it remains to this day.
The central event will be the Divine Liturgy in front of the Holy Spirit Cathedral. It will be led by Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, the Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus and concelebrated by the bishops and clergy of the BOC.
The divine service will be preceded by a welcome ceremony for the All-Belarusian Cross Procession which will begin at the Holy Dormition Monastery in Zhirovichi on 18 August. In nine days the procession will visit 21 churches in four eparchies and will cover about 250km. The final section will pass from the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God to the Holy Spirit Cathedral.
The Minsk Icon of the Mother of God is one of the main and most revered Orthodox shrines of the Belarusian land. Legend has it that it was found in 1500 on the waters of the Svisloch River. Since then, the Icon has been housed in the city of Minsk. Parishioners have always treated the Icon with great reverence, managed to preserve it during the persecution of religion and during the Great Patriotic War. In 1945, the Icon of the Mother of God was transferred to the Holy Spirit Cathedral, where it remains to this day.
Follow us on:
