Euphrosyne of Polotsk’s eternal book

Let us unveil what messages the patron saint of Belarus left to posterity through the frescoes in the Saviour Transfiguration Church of the 12th century

Nurturing children, who are a source of our everlasting anxiety and hope, is the holiest of all holy things. After all, the well-being of our society depends on what we nourish their souls with. According to Schema-Archimandrite John Maslov, ‘children can become both angels and devils; everything depends on upbringing’. Mother Superior Evdokia (Levshuk), the Abbess of the Saviour-Euphrosyne Convent, which is preparing to celebrate the 900th anniversary of its foundation, wholeheartedly concurs with him.

Frescoes

“The written manuscripts and writings of St. Euphrosyne of Polotsk have not survived to this day. However, the Church of the Saviour, built with her blessing and frescoed according to her plan, forever remains her spiritual legacy,” Mother Superior Evdokia joined in the conversation. 
This temple is a unique monument of painting, writing, and theological thought that has miraculously reached us through the centuries. This is the only 12th-century temple in Belarus, where the most ancient frescoes have been preserved almost in full.

Narrative about virtues

The history of the discovery of ancient frescoes in the Church of the Saviour is both fascinating and astonishing. No one could imagine that the ‘messages’ from the 12th century were hidden under the layers of late plaster, inscriptions and paints. Fragments of these frescoes were first uncovered in 1928 under a late 19th-century oil inscription. In the early 1990s, fine art restorer Vladimir Rakitsky began systematic work to disclose the ancient frescoes. It was not until the 21st century that, thanks to the latest unique peeling technology for oil paintings developed by Moscow specialists under the guidance of fine art restorer Vladimir Sarabyanov, frescoes from the era of St. Euphrosyne were fully revealed. 

All the frescoes were created using the technique of raw lime plaster, which has preserved them for many centuries. The craftsmen used high-quality natural pigments — malachite, lapis lazuli, azurite, cinnabar, red ochre and others — many of which were imported from different countries. The specialists managed not only to uncover the 12th-century frescoes but also to remove all the 19th-century oil paintings from the walls and vaults, which are now housed in the Art Gallery of the Polotsk National Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve. This unique operation has no analogues in the world restoration practice.

When asked how it became evident that Euphrosyne herself supervised the temple’s painting, Abbess Evdokia clarified, “Fine art restorer Vladimir Sarabyanov, who revealed the ancient frescoes, was sure that Reverend Euphrosyne personally selected the plots and compiled the iconographic programme. The most remarkable discovery made by paleographers suggests that all the texts on the scrolls, which depict saints on the temple’s walls, have characteristic features. According to those distinctive features, scientists came to the conclusion that the inscriptions had been made not by artists but by an experienced scribe, and Euphrosyne was exactly a woman-scribe.” 
Today, it is safe to say that the Saviour Transfiguration Church serves as her message to future generations, forever imprinted in the wall frescoes. 
Each fresco embodies an edifying narrative about the high Christian virtues that are necessary for every person — humility, forgiveness, obedience, meekness, generosity, mercy, courage, valour, love for the Motherland. 
Reverend Euphrosyne considered spiritual enlightenment as an integral part of benevolence and love for humanity. She meticulously copied liturgical books by her own hand, spreading literacy and a love for the word of God in her native lands.  

To change the outside, you need to change inside

— What is the basis of spiritual and moral education?
— It is the commandments: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and Love your neighbour as yourself. By visiting a sick person, helping those in need, forgiving the offender, showing mercy and compassion, we thereby manifest our love for God.
Mother Superior Evdokia believes that genuine morality is impossible without a religious foundation. This refers to both children and adults. It is necessary to nurture — that is, to nourish and cultivate the soul.
— In order to change the outside, it is necessary to change inside. Only then will the world around you become different. In education, it is not merely words that are needed, but rather an example that leaves a vivid imprint on the child’s mind, enabling them to rely on it throughout their entire earthly journey. Enlightener Euphrosyne of Polotsk serves as such an example for us today. 
Abbess Evdokia is convinced that obedience lies at the heart of everything. The Bible teaches obedience to both parents and mentors. In our challenging times, children do not obey first their father and mother, then their teachers, and then their leaders. Therefore, serious problems arise within families, society and the state.

Frescoes

It is all about your neighbour

— It seems to me that love for one’s neighbour, along with mercy and compassion, are diminishing in our lives.
— For the current young generation, life primarily revolves around the words ‘I’, ‘my’, ‘mine’. In contrast, true love is selfless, focusing on the words ‘you’, ‘your’, ‘yours’. In the western part of the southern nave in the Church of the Saviour, two scenes from the same narrative are depicted on the vault arch. Monk Martyrius was walking from his monastery to another, when he encountered a leper, whose whole body was thickly covered with wounds. Exhausted, the poor man could not walk. The monk took off his robe, wrapped the sick man in it and carried him on his shoulders. As he approached the monastery, he heard the abbot shout, ‘Quick, open the monastery gates! Brother Martyrius is coming, carrying the Lord.’ As soon as the monk reached the entrance, the one who seemed to be a leper emerged in front of everyone in the image of Christ and ascended to heaven. Martyrius later remarked that while carrying him, he felt no weight at all. It is not surprising! How could he feel any weight while carrying the one who bears the weight of the entire world? This is how sincere mercy connects us with the Lord Almighty. The more compassionate we are, the more surely we rise up.

— The northern part of the western wall in the Church of the Saviour, right at the exit, features frescoes of the Last Judgement, depicting sinners hanging by their tongues. Is swearing a scourge of our time?
— Slander, condemnation, profanity permeate our earthly existence like radiation, having a destructive effect on all living beings on Earth. ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,’ we read in the Gospel. The Holy Fathers convince us that our words, along with our actions, are the weights that will be placed on the scales when our fate is decided at the Last Judgement. 
According to Abbess Evdokia, the expressive plots of the ancient frescoes are meticulously crafted. One can explore the multifaceted nature of St. Euphrosyne of Polotsk through them, much like through treatises of profound content. The frescoes in the Church of the Saviour, like a bridge from the past, invisibly yet surely and reliably connect us with the holy men of faith. 
— It takes a lot of effort to keep the soul beautiful and unblemished. Nurturing such moral qualities as mercy, kindness, patience, obedience, generosity, compassion, and diligence is the way to make modern youth healthier. We have exemplary figures to learn from. Reverend Euphrosyne left a considerable legacy of spirituality, true faith and wisdom that will endure for many years.

Messages through the centuries 

Where to find miraculously preserved frescoes that are over 800 years old. In Belarus, besides the Saviour Transfiguration Church in Polotsk, ancient frescoes from the 12th century have been partially preserved in the interiors of St. Sophia Cathedral, as well as in the Church of Saint Paraskeva Pyatnitsa and the Church of St. Boris and Gleb in Belchitsa, Vitebsk Region (Candlemas, Lamentation). On the territory of the former USSR, there is only one temple with frescoes of similar preservation — the Pskov Saviour Transfiguration Church of the Mirozhsky Monastery. Its famous frescoes were painted by Byzantine masters in 1130-1140.

By Natalia Tyshkevich