The small village of Synkovichi is located in neighboring Belarus. What is special, it would seem, she may be interested in? However, not only Belarusians, but also residents of other countries go to Synkovichi. The thing is that in the village there is a temple. And in this church in Synkovichi - the icon "The Tsaritsa", the rumor about which has truly spread all over the world.
St. Michael's Church
Before we tell the story of the wonderful icon (and the icon of “The Tsaritsa” in the Sykovichk church is really wonderful, there can be no doubt about it), we’ll at least briefly get acquainted with the history of the sanctuary in which it is located. Locals simply call the holy place - St. Michael's Church, but its full official name is the Church of St. Michael the Archangel. This is the oldest temple in the country of the defense type. What does defense mean? This means that in the cathedral there are battle towers (four pieces) with loopholes through which the defense of the temple and the adjacent territory was conducted in turbulent former times.
Nobody now knows the exact date of the "birth" of the church in Synkovichi, but it is believed that it was erected at the very beginning of the fifteenth century. However, some evidence points to its earlier appearance. Be that as it may, it is unlikely to be able to reliably establish this information today, but the fact that the temple is known to the whole world for the miraculous icon stored in it is an indisputable fact.
Icon "The Tsaritsa"
The church in Synkovichy (we will certainly tell you in detail later about the work schedule, address and other important information regarding the church) is the proud owner of a copy of the above icon. It was made specifically for this temple. The original is located in Greece, on Mount Athos (a copy was also written there). What is this icon famous for and what does it represent?
The icon "The Tsaritsa" is an icon of the Mother of God. The Virgin Mary is sealed in red robes, with a baby in her arms and angels behind her. The icon was painted in the seventeenth century specifically for one of the monasteries - male Orthodox on Mount Athos.
After some time, it turned out that the icon works wonders. It helps in the fight against cancer - heals those who, it would seem, have no chance. She also eliminates drug and alcohol addiction - there are many cases of parents turning to the icon for help for their children.
In Synkovichy, the icon "The Tsaritsa" - or rather, its copy (or rather, a list) - appeared not so long ago. This happened already in the next century, or more precisely, twelve years ago, in 2006. Then father Arseny, the rector of the church to this day, acquired a list for his church. And since then, the flow of pilgrims to the miraculous icon has not dried up.
Approaching the temple
Now let's talk a little more about the Belarusian church with the icon "All the Tsaritsa" in Synkovichi. This is not the only temple where there is a copy of the miraculous icon (there are many of them around the world; "casts" from the original icon began to be made after rumors began to flow about her miraculous abilities). Although it is of the greatest interest and greatest importance, this is far from the only thing that this church is famous for.
Church of St. Michael the Archangel: what makes it special
The temple has collected a considerable number of different faces, and it is especially revered among them not only the icon "The Tsaritsa". In the church in Synkovichy, the images of St. Michael the Archangel, St. Great Martyr Barbara, the list of the icon of the Mother of God "Zhirovichskaya", "Czestochowa" and so on are also especially revered. In general, it is not in vain that they say that no icon has "specialization" (it cannot be said that this image will help in the request, but that one will not). The main thing is to turn in your prayers and requests to God and be sincere in the soul, regardless of which icon the person approached.
But back to the Sykovichsky church. It is famous, in addition to its beautiful images, and the unusual sound of bells. They shimmer into five different "voices", as if calling each other. These bells using special technology were cast especially for St. Michael's Church. No more such “voices” and such amazing sound can be found in any Belarusian church.
The acoustics are also good in the church - not every temple can boast such a thing: the singing of prayers is scattered throughout the territory and is perfectly audible in every corner of the holy place. They say that it has been so since ancient times - ancient voices have been preserved.
A bit about the history of the church
Today, the church of St. Michael the Archangel is Orthodox, but this was not always the case. In the mid-twenties of the last century, the church passed into the hands of Catholics: it was defended by a Greek Catholic parish. Catholics Mikhailovsky Church belonged for a long time: until the end of the fifties of the last century.
During the Second World War the temple was operational, but after it came hard times. Destruction reigned everywhere, there was no means to restore everything destroyed by the war. What can we say about the maintenance of the church, which also required money! In general, the local population refused the temple. It was closed, and the premises - both the church itself and the nearby bell tower - began to be used as a granary and warehouse.
Only in the early nineties of the last century the church was revived to life and returned to the fold of Orthodoxy. Since then, the doors of the Mikhailovsky Church are open to everyone. We will talk further about the miracles created by the icon "The Tsaritsa" in the Church of Synkovichi, the time of the church and the schedule of services.
The Book of Testimonies of the Miracles of Healing
This is the name of the book stored in the sanctuary, which is a genuine document that captures on its pages the history of miracles that happened thanks to the icon "The Tsaritsa". One of the most famous and transmitted to everyone around tells the story of a woman traveling to Poland with her sick mother. She was ill for a very long time, was seriously ill, was bedridden and, according to doctors, had no chance. The daughter had not visited her for a long time, and, having stopped on her way to Sykovichy’s church, she repented of this in front of the Icon of the Mother of God and said a prayer in which she asked to catch her mother alive. She not only found her alive - a day later an elderly lady got out of bed absolutely healthy.
A lot of things are described in the aforementioned book of cases when couples for whom the diagnosis of infertility was made, after prayer before the icon "The Tsaritsa" became happy parents of absolutely healthy babies. Often there are also stories about the cure for drunkenness, drug addiction, serious illnesses - including cancer. All of these cases, described in the book and available for reading, explain why the icon so richly named above is decorated with jewelry - mostly gold: felt patients leave gold as a thank you.
By the way, to see the icon in the middle of other faces in the temple is not difficult - it is located on the left hand, if you stand facing the altar. However, even without knowing her exact location among the images, she won’t miss it: she seems to attract eyes and legs. Such is she, the icon of the "Tsaritsa".
Phone and opening hours of the church in Synkovichi
The doors of the temple are open for parishioners daily, except Mondays, in any weather. You can arrive already from 9 in the morning - at this time services begin in the Sykovichy church with the icon "The Tsaritsa". Hours - up to four hours.
In addition to attending divine services, in the church you can order any prayer service, put a candle or draw holy water. The latter, by the way, can be done independently, if you bring empty containers with you - a wonderful source is located next to the temple. There is also a covered font with two compartments - a deeper and more shallow one. Also nearby are gazebos for relaxation.
As for the phone number by which you can contact the church, it is available to everyone on the site of the Grodno diocese (the church of St. Michael belongs to it) in the corresponding section.
Church services
In general, in the Mikhailovsky Church, services are held on Sundays and holidays. But for the icon “The Tsaritsa” in the Synkovich’s church, the schedule of services is his own, special one. It has already been mentioned several times that from the very moment the appearance of this icon in this Belarusian church, the flow of visitors to it has not decreased.
And therefore, thanks to the same rector of the sanctuary, Father Arseny, two special days were allocated for services before the “All-Tsaritsa”: first the first Friday of the month, and then the third Saturday was added to it. On Fridays, they ask for healing from oncology, on Saturdays - from drug addiction and drunkenness. Divine services begin at 9 a.m., they are preceded by an all-night vigil (from 5 p.m.).
Address of St. Michael's Church
How to find the famous temple with the icon "The Tsaritsa"? Where is the church in Synkovichi located? It is located in a wasteland right behind the village, you cannot see it - the domes go quite high into the sky. The village itself is located very close to the city of Slonim - a turn on it can be seen ten kilometers from there.
Interesting Facts
- It is the earliest building of the Gothic style on the territory of Belarus.
- Under the church there was previously a crypt.
- In the courtyard is a small tombstone. This is a monument to the wife and newborn baby of the rector of the sanctuary who died in the seventies of the nineteenth century.
- There are guided tours in the temple, but they should be arranged in advance.
- Two years ago, the church was robbed, but the icon of the "Tsaritsa" remained untouched.
The church in Synkovichi and the icon of “The Tsaritsa” are a place and a sight to see and recommend to everyone.