Thanks to Divine Providence, the Holy Elizabethan Monastery was created in the main city of Belarus in honor of the holy martyr Princess Elizabeth. The apostolic work of his sisters brings warmth and light to where everything is distorted and permeated with despair and sorrow. It is here that the Lord purifies, washes, and sanctifies human souls, crippled by sin, with his love. Repent and meet the forgiving and loving Almighty - that is what each sister's vocation consists of.
History of the foundation of the monastery
St. Elizabeth Monastery (Minsk) is based on the outskirts of the city, in the area of Novinki. Today it is the only active monastery in the Belarusian capital. It was founded in a place where previously there were no churches at the very end of the last century. The sisterhood of the same name, on the basis of which, in fact, this monastery grew, still continues to provide charity in the Republican Psychiatric Hospital and other healthcare institutions, as well as in boarding schools for adults and children with special psychophysical development.
Initially, a house church was erected in this boarding school in honor of Ksenia of Petersburg. As time passed, some Sisterhood servants wished to devote themselves fully to the service of their neighbors and the Lord. It was at this time that the St. Elizabeth Convent (Minsk) was founded.
Patients of a nearby hospital and ordinary people began to offer help when the monastery buildings and its churches were just beginning to be built. To this day, sisters help patients, conduct classes and celebrations with children, organize their name days and performances. They are always where their help is needed.
Elizaveta Fedorovna
Holy Elizabethan Monastery (Minsk) is named after Ella (in the future, Elizabeth Feodorovna), daughter of the Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt and the English princess. Parents instilled in their children love and compassion for loved ones, a sense of beauty.
Even in her youth, she met the Grand Duke, the representative of the Russian ruling dynasty, Sergei Alexandrovich. Having married, the young princess helped the destitute, sick and afflicted, tried to alleviate their suffering by visiting hospitals, prisons, and shelters. And her noble and deeply believing husband supported his wife in all good undertakings. After his death, Elizaveta Fedorovna found solace at the relics of the miracle worker Alexei, where a wondrous monastery subsequently arose.
During the time of turmoil in our country, the princess continued to help those in need. But one day, on the third day of Easter in 1918, she was arrested and taken out of the capital, and six months later she was executed together with the nun Varvara. Her relics are now kept in Jerusalem.
Monastery Buildings
Today the St. Elizabeth Monastery (Minsk) has a territory on which eight temples have been erected, a refectory painted for the pilgrims by frescoes, a fence with small towers, several buildings with cells, a bell tower duplicated on the other side by a tower in similar forms. At the monastery there is a publishing house, several shops.
Monastery temples
The lower monastery church , consecrated in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. This is the first temple erected on the territory of the monastery, which was consecrated in the last month of the last century. Particles of the relics of the Saint, in whose honor the church was founded, were solemnly brought to the St. Elizabeth Convent (Minsk) at the beginning of our century. A few months later, this shrine was inserted into the temple icon personally by Metropolitan Filaret for universal worship. Also in this temple are icons with inserted particles of the relics of Euphrosyne of Polotsk, Seraphim of Sarov, Simeon Vertukhovsky, Gabriel of Bialystok.
The temple in honor of the Resurrection of the righteous Lazarus of the Four Day . It is located near the crematorium in the Northern cemetery, and it is here where the funeral services and funeral services are regularly served. The frescoes of the temple depict the Second Coming and the Last Judgment.
The temple in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Sovereign". It is located next to the monastery. The beauty of the upper temple is striking in the incredible beauty of the Byzantine-style paintings . And the lower one is similar to the early Christian churches. Here the Sacrament of Baptism takes place, and here the Sacrament of the Wedding and all the holiday services are held.
Temple in honor of the Royal Martyrs , located in the script of the aforementioned church.
The temple in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Inexpressible Chalice” It is located near the monastery courtyard, in the village of Lysaya Gora, in the metropolitan area. There is rehabilitation for people with drug or alcohol addiction, there are also people who were in prison and had long sentences, people who do not have their own housing.
Monastery Activities
People who take care of the sisters work in gardens, on fields and farms, in construction. The St. Elizabeth Monastery (Minsk) also has an icon-painting workshop, in which creative young people with an art education are invited, who would like to serve the church and gain experience in the art of icon-painting. There are also other workshops here, such as carpentry, ceramic, sewing, wall mosaic, mechanical and many others. And about four years ago, in the center of the main city of Belarus, the monastery opened the Miracle Mill cafe.
St. Elizabeth Monastery (Minsk). Choir
For more than ten years, this creative team has been pleasing with its singing not only parishioners, but also all lovers of church music. All the singers of this choir have a musical education in various specialties, and some of them are diploma-winners and laureates of various international competitions, singers of famous choral groups.
The repertoire of the monastic choir is characterized by a complete rejection of author's music, as well as reliance on the Byzantine and znamenny chants. But the main thing is the magnificence and beauty of church hymns.
The staff of this monastery is known not only in their country, but also far beyond its borders. The publishing house has released a number of choir discs, the proceeds of which go to the needs of the monastery.
Choir regent
The head of the creative team is the nun Juliana, who graduated from the Leningrad Conservatory. She owns the authorship, harmonization and processing of more than one hundred and fifty church chants. The monastic publishing house published a collection of works by Julian. And a local television movie released about her. For her labors, the nun was awarded the Order of Cyril of Turov.