The Holy Elizabeth Convent (Minsk). Holy Elizabeth Convent

Thanks to God's Providence, the Holy Elizabethan Monastery was established 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 cleanses, bathes and sanctifies the human souls crippled by sin with his love. Repent and meet the forgiving and loving Supreme - that is what the vocation of each sister is.

History of the foundation of the monastery

St. Elizabeth's Monastery (Minsk) is based on the outskirts of the city, in the Novinka area. Today it is the only functioning monastery in the Belarusian capital. It was founded in the place where there were no churches before in the very end of the last century. The Sisterhood of the same name, on the basis of which the monastery actually grew, still continues to provide charity in the Republican Psychiatric Hospital and other health facilities, as well as in boarding schools for adults and children with special psychophysical development.

At first, a house church was built in this boarding school in honor of Xenia of Petersburg. As time passed, some Sisterhood employees wished to devote themselves fully to serving their neighbors and the Lord. It was at this time that the Holy Elizabeth Convent (Minsk) was founded.

Patients of a nearby hospital and ordinary people began to offer their help when the monastery buildings and temples were just beginning to be built. And to this day, sisters help the sick, conduct classes and holidays with children, organize their name-days and performances. They are always where their help is needed.

Elizabeth Feodorovna

The Holy Elizabethan Monastery (Minsk) is named after Ella (in the future Elizabeth Feodorovna), the daughter of the Hessian-Darmstadt Duke and the English Princess. Parents have instilled in their children love and compassion for their loved ones, a sense of beauty.

Even in her youth, she met the Grand Prince, a representative of the Russian ruling dynasty, Sergei Alexandrovich. Having married, the young princess helped the destitute, sick and suffering, tried to alleviate their suffering, visiting hospitals, prisons, shelters. And her noble and deeply religious spouse supported his wife in all good endeavors. After his death, Elizabeth Feodorovna found consolation at the relics of the miracle-worker Alexei, where a marvelous abode subsequently arose.

During the embarrassment in our country, the princess continued to help the needy. But one day, on the third day of the Easter of 1918, she was arrested and taken out of the capital, and six months later she was executed along with the nun Varvara. Now her relics are kept in Jerusalem.

Monastery buildings

To date, the Holy Elizabethan Monastery (Minsk) has a territory on which eight temples are built, painted with frescoes, a refectory for pilgrims, 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.

Monastic 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 Holy, in honor of which the church was founded, were solemnly brought to the Holy Elizabethan Convent (Minsk) at the beginning of this century. A few months later, this shrine was inserted into the temple icon personally by Metropolitan Filaret for universal worship. Also in this church are icons with inserted relics of Euphrosyne of Polotsk, Seraphim of Sarov, Simeon Vertukhovsky, Gabriel Bialostoksky.

The temple in honor of the Resurrection of the righteous Lazarus Chetverdnevnogo . It is located near the crematorium in the Northern Cemetery, it is here that funerals 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 "Derzhavnaya". It is located next to the monastery. The beauty of the upper church is striking in the incredible beauty of the paintings in the Byzantine style. And the lower one is similar to the early Christian churches. Here the Sacrament of Baptism is performed, and here is the Sacrament of the Wedding and all the festive services.

The temple in honor of the Royal Passion-Bearers , located in the script of the above-mentioned church.

Temple in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Inexhaustible Chalice" . It is located not far from the monastery metochion, in the village of Lysaya Gora, in the metropolitan area. There is rehabilitation for people who have narcotic or alcohol addiction, there are also people who were in prison and had long terms of imprisonment, people who do not have their own homes.

Activities of the monastery

Sisters cared for by the sisters work in orchards, in fields and farms, in construction. Another Holy Elizabethan Monastery (Minsk) has an icon painting workshop, which invites creative young people who have an art education, and who would like to serve the church and gain experience in the art of icon painting. Also there are other workshops, such as carpentry, ceramic, sewing, wall-mosaic, mechanical and mechanical, and many others. And about four years ago in the center of the main city of Belarus the monastery opened a cafe "Miracle Mill".

The Holy Elizabeth Convent (Minsk). Choir

For more than ten years, this creative team has been delighted with singing not only parishioners, but also all lovers of church music. All choristers of this choir have a musical education of various specialties, and some of them are diploma and laureates of various international competitions, singers of well-known choral collectives.

The repertoire of the monastic choir is characterized by a complete rejection of the author's music, as well as reliance on the Byzantine and Znamenny chants. But the main thing is the splendor and beauty of the church chant.

The collective of this monastery is known not only in its own country, but also far beyond its borders. The publisher released a number of discs of the choir, the proceeds from which go to the needs of the monastery.

Chorus Regent

The head of the creative team is the nun of Juliana, who graduated from the Leningrad Conservatoire. She belongs to authorship, harmonization and processing of more than one hundred and fifty church hymns. The monastic publishing house published a collection of works by Juliana. And the local television about her released a film. For her work the nun was awarded the Order of Cyril of Turov.