 Source of image: www.nbrb.by
|
| THE CROSS OF EUPHRASYNE OF POLATSK
The Convent of the Saviour and St Euphrasyne in Polatsk is considered to be one of the most ancient sacred sites in Belarus. It was founded in the early 12th century by St Euphrasyne of Polatsk who became famous far beyond the lands of Polatsk. even as far as Jerusalem. Her name is revered by the faithful all over the world.
In the dim and distant past, abbess Euphrasyne followed an ancient tradition - to adorn God's temples with all best things that a man is able to create under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. She ordered a special communion cross for her convent's Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour and devised it so that it could be venerated by the common man who really believes in Christ, a person who has deep appreciation of beauty, and a statesman who is capable of seeing this Cross as the symbol of Christian dignity and the people's lofty spiritual orientation. The time the Cross was made was not only the period of troubles, rivalries, and disagreements, but also the time of strengthening the faith in the lands of our country - the life's feat of Princess and abbess Euphrasyne. At that time she was hopeful that it would cease hostilities, unite the Brethren in Christ, and put an end to the wars and strife….
The Cross was crafted in 1161 by Lazar Bogsha, a skilled jeweler. It was a reliquary containing sacred things such as a fragment of the True Cross with a drop of the Saviour's Precious Blood, fragments of the Holy Sepulchre and Sepulchre of the Madonna, as well as holy relics. The six-armed Cross was 52 cm in height. Its cypress-wood framework was covered with 22 golden plates and 20 gilded silver plates which were exquisitely ornamented, studded with gems and pearls, and decorated with 20 enamel icons. Lazar Bogsha was familiar with the old Byzantine cloisonne technique. His miniatures were as good as the finest examples of Byzantine enameling.
The Cross was also a masterpiece of the written word of Ancient Rus. A brief inscription on the reverse revealed the name of its creator. The last will and testament of the Reverend Euphrasyne was engraved on the sides of the Cross whereby she instructed, in the face of the growing unrest and disturbance, her convent and the town of Polatsk to take care of it and damned anyone who would steal it.
Despite such precaution, the fate of the Cross was very tragic. It changed hands and whereabouts many times. As early as the beginning of the 13th century the Cross was removed from Polatsk by the princes of Smolensk and in the 16th century it fell into the hands of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible who returned it to Polatsk as soon as he read the damnation. In 1579, the troops of King Stefan Batory took the town. The relic was placed at the Cathedral of St Sophia which belonged to Uniates, for safekeeping. The Cross was restored to its rightful place at the Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour following the breakdown of the Uniate Church. Beginning in 1929, the relic was kept in Mahiliou. In 1941, at the outset of the Great Patriotic War, it disappeared without trace.
1992 saw the beginning of the reconstruction of the Cross of the Reverend Euphrasyne in Brest. It took five years to carry out the work designed to reconstruct the sacred object. Mikalai Kuzmich fashioned the Cross employing the old Byzantine cloisonne technique. The cypress-wood framework was consecrated at the Holy Sepulchre and at other holy sites of Jerusalem. The Cross, like the ancient one, contains a fragment of the True Cross with a drop of the Saviour's Precious Blood and other Christian relics. In 1997, in the run-up to the Holy Cross Day, the reconstructed Cross of the Reverend Euphrasyne was solemnly brought to the Convent of the Saviour and St Euphrasyne. "Reconstructing the sacred Cross which is revered by Orthodox Christians worldwide and which is the protector of Belarus", points out the Synod of the Belarusian Orthodox Church in this connection, "became a nationwide affair indeed. It embodies our penance, our faith in, hope and love for God and our country.”
Text from the official flyer “The Cross of Euphrasyne of Polatstk” of the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus
| |
| Date : 17.10.2007 |
| Metal : Ag 999 |
| Diameter, mm : 100.00 |
| Weight, g : 1000.00 |
| Mintage, St. : 2000 |
Minted by :
Moscow Mint of Goznak, Moscow, Russia |
Design :
S.Zaskevich |
 | 
 |
Ebay-Statistic
(Prices in Euro):
| Year |
Count |
Ave
rage |
Min. |
Max. |
| 2006 |
0 |
0,00 |
0,00 |
0,00 |
| 2007 |
0 |
0,00 |
0,00 |
0,00 |
| 2008 |
1 |
1.360,00 |
1.360,00 |
1.360,00 |
| 2009 |
2 |
1.494,50 |
1.490,00 |
1.499,00 |
| 2010 |
2 |
1.155,00 |
1.010,00 |
1.300,00 |
| 2011 |
0 |
0,00 |
0,00 |
0,00 |
|
This site as PDF
