Кафедральный Свято-Духов собор в Минске — центр the spiritual life of Belarus and its capital. There are only four chapels in the temple. South is dedicated to the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The throne of the northern chapel 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 is 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 bright architectural monument. When the temple works bookstore.
Schedule of worship
In the Holy Spirit Cathedral of Minskdaily services are held. On weekdays and Saturdays, service starts at 8.40 am reading the hours. At 9.00 the beginning of the afternoon. On Sundays, as well as on the days of the temple, Great and Twelve Great Feasts, there are two Divine Liturgies - early and late. Services start at 7 and 10 am, respectively. Those who wish to confess must come half an hour before the beginning of the liturgy. Every day, except Sunday, at 5 pm akathists are sung. Evening services begin at 18.00.
Missionary and Charity
In addition to its main purpose, the templeperforms the function of a charitable and educational center. The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk is the base for the Sunday School, the brotherhood of St. John the Theologian, the sisterhood of St. Sophia, Princess Slutskaya, and the brotherhood of holy disgracers Cosmas and Damian of Rome. Brotherhoods are mainly engaged in missionary work and charity. Their target audience is youth. The sisterhood unites Orthodox women who provide spiritual assistance to those in need in hospitals.
There are three groups in the Sunday school:for kids 5-7 years old, for children 8-11 years old and senior youth group. Also, on the basis of the school, classes for parents are held, a library has been created, a children's liturgy is regularly served for pupils of the Sunday school, as well as their mothers and fathers. At school there are clubs: choral and needlework.
Pilgrimage
One of the main goals for Orthodox pilgrimsin the capital of Belarus - the Cathedral of the Descent of the Holy Spirit. Minsk for the 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 Slutskaya, and icons:
- The Mother of God of Minsk;
- the holy martyr Princess Lyudmila;
- Saints Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth and the nun Barbara.
The main shrine of the temple and one of the most valuableShrines of Belarus - Minsk Icon of the Mother of God. Here is her story. Among the many church utensils and shrines brought from Korsun to Kiev by Grand Duke Vladimir, was the miraculous image of the Mother of God, written supposedly by the Apostle Luke. In 1500, Kiev was taken by the Tatars, and one of them, tearing the robe from the icon, threw it into the river. After a while she landed on the bank of the Svisloch River. In 1616 she was transferred to Minsk. Since then, the icon received the name of this city. This image has been in the main cathedral of the Belarusian capital since 1945.
Святая София, княгиня Слуцкая, будучи убежденной Orthodox Christian, was forced to marry a Catholic - Prince Janusz Radzvilla. The condition on which young Sophia agreed to the marriage was the upbringing in the Orthodox faith of children born from him. Marriage was not happy, God did not send children. The princess was comforted only by faith in the Lord. Four years before her wedding, in 1596, a church union (union) with Rome was declared. Through the efforts of St. Sophia, Slutsk received a diploma from the King of Poland forbidding the coercion of Orthodox to the territory of this city. Thanks to this literacy, they managed to keep their faith uncompromised. In 1612, at the age of 26, the princess died from her first childbirth. Her relics rest at the left wall of the temple.
The history of the cathedral before the revolution
Cathedral of the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk is locatedon the site of the former Orthodox male Cosmo-Damian Monastery, built at the beginning of the XV century. After the fire at the beginning of the 17th century, a Bernardine temple (Catholic monastic order) was built in its place, later becoming the building of the main cathedral of the capital of Belarus. Construction lasted from 1633 to 1642 years. In 1652 a stone monastery complex was built. The temple experienced multiple fires and subsequent reconstruction. The Bernardine Monastery lasted until 1852. For some time the building was abandoned.
"Everything returns to normal", and in 1860The church was returned to the Orthodox Church, partly renovated and consecrated in the name of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers Methodius and Cyril. Here for several years worship services were held for students of the theological seminary. Soon the monastery was closed for major repairs, which ended in January 1870. The main altar was dedicated to the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, and the right side-altar was consecrated in the name of Cyril and Methodius. The temple operated until 1918, until it was closed by the Bolsheviks.
Modern history
Holy Spirit Cathedral of the city of MinskI managed to visit the gym for the fire brigade, and the archive, and the transfer prison for the "dispossessed" peasants. In 1938, the following event occurred, which can be called a miracle. During the rally, one of the speakers said that he would not leave the place until he made a decision to demolish the temple. He was already taken away from the rally with fractures of both legs. The orator stumbled, descending 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 helped people in hospitals, the disabled and orphans, helped reopen the temples. In 1945, the icon of the Mother of God of Minsk was transferred to the cathedral. The northern side-chapel, consecrated in the name of the Great Martyr Barbara, was built in 1953. After 15 years, a southern chapel appeared in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk became the main church of the city in 1961.
