Reliquary containing Belt of Theotokos arrives in Minsk
13:53, 4 March
Photo: BELTA
A reliquary containing a portion of the Cincture of the Most Holy Theotokos was brought to Holy spirit Cathedral in Minsk for veneration. Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, led the divine service at the church, BelTA learned from the website of the Belarusian Orthodox Church.
- Share on Facebook
- Share on VK
- Share on Twitter
“This is an ancient shrine, sanctified by the Most Holy Virgin Mary. It testifies that the Mother of God is the protector for those people who turn to this shrine with faith. Also placed in the ark are fragments of the relics of her holy righteous parents, Joachim and Anna, who raised such a wonderful daughter for all humanity. She gave birth to the Savior of the whole world,” Metropolitan Veniamin said. He noted that today the Mother of God is depicted on the coat of arms of the city of Minsk, which symbolizes the protection of Belarus as a whole.
“The shrine serves as a source of inspiration and help for people. It is only important to turn to it with faith, and to emulate the example of the pious parents - the holy righteous Joachim and Anna. We now see how unstable the world is; alarming news comes from various countries. We, by the grace of God, have peace and harmony on our Belarusian land. We need to preserve this," the Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus Veniamin said.
A great shrine of the Christian world - the ark containing a portion of the Cincture of the Most Holy Theotokos and parts of the relics of the parents of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, the holy and righteous Joachim and Anna - will be brought, with the blessing of Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, from the Kazan Cathedral in Saint Petersburg. For 2,000 years, this shrine has remained for believers a clear testimony of God’s mercy. Before it, they pray for healing, comfort in times of trouble, and intercession in difficult family circumstances. Special hope for the help of the Mother of God and the holy righteous Joachim and Anna is placed by those who pray for deliverance from infertility and the long-awaited gift of children.
The Belarusian Orthodox Church said that the upcoming event is of exceptional significance. In 2024, it was an event of a national scale: at that time, multi-thousand queues formed at churches across the country, with people waiting for hours for the opportunity to venerate the shrine. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians testified to the special spiritual joy that the prayerful presence of the Mother of God bestows.
Details of the relic’s journey are available on the website of the Belarusian Orthodox Church. The ark will reside at the Holy Spirit Cathedral on 4-8 March. Visiting hours for prayer: 4 March – from 12.00 to 23.00; 5-7 March – from 6.00 to 23.00; 8 March – from 6.00 to 20.00. April.
The relic will then be transferred to Borisov Eparchy, where it will stay on 9-10 March. It will then travel to Molodechno Eparchy on 11-12 March, to Vitebsk Eparchy on 13-15 March, to Polotsk Eparchy on 16-17 March, to Grodno Eparchy on 18-20 March, to Lida Eparchy on 21-22 March, to Novogrudok Eparchy on 23-24 March, to Zhirovichi Monastery on 25 March, to Brest Eparchy on 26-28 March, to Pinsk Eparchy on 29-30 March, to Turov Eparchy (the city of Mozyr) on 31 March-1 April, to Gomel Eparchy on 2-4 April, to Bobruisk Eparchy on 5-6 April, to Slutsk Eparchy on 7-8 April, and to Mogilev Eparchy on 9-11 April.
