Saviour-Ephrosinya convent

Location: Situated in Polotsk

The monastery is situated in the city Polotsk in Ephrosinya Polotskaya street, at the right bank of the river Polota. It was founded in 1120-ies by the princess Ephrosinya who became a nun, and was its Mother Superior for 45 years.

It is mentioned in «Lifeof Ephrosinya Polotskaya» (12-13th centuries): «… I am giving a place of Saint Saviour to Ephrosinya at Seltso, so should there be a convent for maids, and no one till the last one could judge this act, it was given to her, and the bishop was pleased with everything». Obviously between 1133 and 1143 they started building the church. In 1579 when the city was taken, the Polish king Stephan Batorij founded his residence in the convent, and later he gave it to the Jesuits. In 1821 the Jesuits were expelled from the city and in 1832 the convent was given to the Orthodox priesthood. From 1841 the convent restarted its functioning as a convent. During the war of 1812 the convent suffered a lot because of the cannonade. From the beginning of 1918 the convent was closed, and during the Great Patriotic war all the wooden buildings and cathedral were destroyed. In 1990 the convent was restored and reopened. In 1997 a copy of the Orthodox sacred object – Ephrosinya Polotskaya’s cross -- was returned to the convent.