Large-scale events will be held in Polotsk for the 1020th anniversary of the Polotsk Diocese

October 30, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. Large-scale events will be held in Polotsk for the 1020th anniversary of the Polotsk diocese, the diocese informed BELTA. An extensive program of anniversary celebrations dedicated to the memorable date, with the blessing of Archbishop Theodosius of Polotsk and Glubokoye, will open on November 6 at 9:30 AM with a festive divine service in the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Polotsk. The Divine Liturgy will bring together all the clergy of the Polotsk diocese for joint prayer. From November 10 to 18, the Orthodox spiritual and educational exhibition-fair "Joy of the Word" will be held near the Palace of Culture of JSC "Polotsk-Steкловолокно". Polotsk residents and guests of the ancient city will be presented with a wide selection of spiritual and moral, educational and children's literature, audio and video products, icons, and church utensils in the exhibition pavilion. An important event for the clergy and believers will be the opening of the two-day XII Republican Holy Euphrosyne Readings, dedicated to the Word, in Polotsk on November 14. On the same day, Polotsk residents and city guests will enjoy a performance by the male vocal ensemble "Blagovest" (Minsk), a laureate of international competitions, in the Saint Sophia Cathedral. A festive evening dedicated to the 1020th anniversary of the Polotsk diocese will be held at the Palace of Culture of JSC "Polotsk-Steкловолокно" on November 16. Its concert program will feature the best creative groups from Polotsk, Novopolotsk, Braslav, Verkhnedvinsk, Glubokoye, Dokshitsy, Miory, Postavy, Rossony, Ushachi, and Sharkovshchina. The anniversary celebrations of the Polotsk diocese will conclude on November 18 with a Thanksgiving moleben and the closing of the "Joy of the Word" exhibition-fair. The Polotsk diocese dates back to 992, when the first episcopal see was established here, on the land of Polotsk, just four years after the Baptism of Rus'. Several decades later, during the reign of Prince Vseslav Bryachislavich, the majestic Cathedral of Saint Sophia "with seven domes" was built on the high hill of the Polotsk Detinets, a symbol of the spiritual power and political independence of the young principality. -0-