On the territory of Belarus, near the village of Gnesichi, which is located on the right bank of the Neman River, there is an ancient Holy Eliseevsky Lavrishevsky monastery, founded, as is commonly believed, no later than 1260. For several centuries, its historical and spiritual significance was so great that a hundred years later it became known as the laurel. Let us dwell briefly on the history of this monastery.
Monk at the head of the principality
The honor of founding the St. Eliseyevsky Lavrishevsky Monastery is attributed to the young governor Wojselka, whose father, Mindovg, went down in history as the founder of the first dynasty of Lithuanian princes. Not wanting to defile his soul with worldly vanity, he took monastic tonsure with the name Lavrentiy and, retiring to the wilderness, settled on the banks of the Neman River in a squalid cell built by his own hands. Gradually, other seekers of holy life began to join him. That is how, according to the Galiuko-Volyn annals, between 1257 and 1260, the Lavrishevsky St. Eliseevsky Monastery was founded.
However, the pious monk was not destined to live far from the world for long. In 1263, his father, who ruled the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, was killed, and Lavrenty, having left the monastery founded by him, pacified the rebellion that swept the state. Restoring order in an orphaned principality, he headed it from 1264 to 1267, combining state activity with monastic service. Only after life went back on track did Lavrenty transfer the rule to his successor, Grand Duke Shvarn, and he went to Volyn lands, where he joined the brotherhood of the Ugrovsky monastery. He no longer returned to his monastery, and exact date was not preserved on the date of his death.
The meanings of the main names
As for the name, founded by him of the St. Elisey Lavrishevsky Monastery, according to researchers, it comes from his monastic name Lavrenty, sounding in the Lithuanian reading as Lavrish. From it came the name of the surrounding area - Lavrishevo, as well as the monastery built in it.
It should also be clarified which particular saint of God is mentioned in the name of the Lavrishevsky St. Eliseyevsky monastery. From the annals of the late XIII and the beginning of the XIV century it is known that the name of Elisha was the first abbot of the monastery, who headed it after the departure of Lawrence, and subsequently beheaded for the great feats of piety.
The center of spirituality and culture
Over the past century, the number of brethren of the Lavrishevsky St. Eliseyev Monastery has increased so much that already in the documents of 1365 it was called the Lavra. Note that only the largest monasteries, which were recognized centers of spiritual life, were awarded this honor. Then the famous Lavrishev Gospel was created within its walls, the illustrations of which are a true masterpiece of medieval book miniatures.
The importance of the Lavrishevsky St. Eliseyev Monastery in the formation of the culture of the region and the enlightenment of the masses is evidenced by the fact that by the beginning of the 16th century the only school for peasant children was operating in the district and a library with more than 300 volumes was opened . The documents of that era also refer to a highly developed monastery economy, which included a printing house, a stable and a number of different workshops.
Regrettable fact
This grace period in the history of the monastery put an end to the two raids of the Tatars, as well as the turmoil associated with the Livonian War of 1558 - 1583. For several decades of the XVI century, he was plundered several times and burned to the ground. As a result, the size of the fraternity was reduced to five people, headed by the last abbot of that period - Hieromonk Leonty (Akolov). The following centuries did not bring significant improvements to the Lavrishevsky St. Elisey Monastery, and in 1836 it was abolished by the decision of the Holy Synod.
Spent effort
The first attempt to revive the once glorious Lavrishevsky St. Eliseyev Monastery was made at the beginning of the 20th century, and it was associated with the name of Archbishop Mitrofan (Krasnopolsky), who was executed by the Bolsheviks in 1919, and during the perestroika period, the holy great martyrs were canonized.
On his initiative, the Holy Synod issued a decree and allocated the necessary funds for the work. However, this good undertaking was unsuccessful. During the First World War, the monastery was in the war zone and all of its buildings were burned down. In subsequent years, there was no question of rebuilding the monastery, since the Bolsheviks who had come to power elevated militant atheism to the rank of state policy.
Revival of the Lavrishevsky St. Eliseyevsky monastery
Only with the advent of the gracious times of perestroika, when the state’s attitude towards religious issues changed radically, did it become possible to implement a project conceived once by the new martyr Mitrofan. In 1997, residents of the nearby village of Gnesichi officially registered an Orthodox parish, which received a temple erected shortly after, and ten years later, when the bulk of the construction work was completed, a new, already the third Lavrishevsky Holy Eliseev Monastery was established. Today on its territory stands a monument to the first abbot - the holy reverend Elisha.
Nowadays, located on the territory of Belarus, near the village of Gnesichi, the St. Eliseevsky Lavrishevsky Monastery again became one of its leading spiritual centers, annually attracting hundreds of thousands of pilgrims. For them, two comfortable European-style hotels “Gostiny Dvor” and “Monastery Manor” were built on the territory of the monastery, in which visitors can relax from the road and gather their thoughts before visiting holy places. For those who, having got to the monastery, want to plunge into the atmosphere of monastic austerity, there are two separate pilgrim houses for men and women.
Reviews of visitors to the monastery
The opinions of those who, having visited the monastery, considered it their duty to leave feedback about it in the pilgrimage book or use the corresponding Internet resources for this purpose are very remarkable. So, among the variety of opinions expressed, I would like to single out those that emphasize deep gratitude to people who managed to revive from non-existence a shrine that survived centuries and then died in the fire of wars and social upheavals.
Many warm words have been said about the main church of the Lavrishevsky St. Eliseyev Monastery, built in 2007 and consecrated in honor of the first abbot - the Monk Elisey. Most of the reviews noted the commitment of its creators to the traditions of antiquity, embodied in modern architectural solutions.
Judging by the records left, visitors are also interested in archaeological excavations carried out near the monastery, at the place where its first buildings appeared seven and a half centuries ago. Many artifacts extracted from the earth are demonstrated to visitors, and help them get to know the history of past centuries. This primarily refers to two ancient sarcophagi discovered at the site of a nearby monastery cemetery.