Polotsk is one of the spiritual centers of Holy Rus' - Patriarch Kirill

September 27, Polotsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill performed the Exaltation of the Cross ceremony on September 26 at the Holy Cross Exaltation Church of the Polotsk Saint Euphrosyne Monastery, BELTA correspondent reports. The Patriarch raised the recreated Cross of Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk, a national shrine of Belarusians. Continuing his primatial visit to Belarus, on the eve of the Exaltation of the Honourable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord – this is the full name of the holiday, which is usually shortened to the Exaltation – the head of the Russian Orthodox Church arrived in Polotsk. On his way, he was met by tens of thousands of believers, and the bells of all five Orthodox churches of the ancient city rang out a festive peal over the Western Dvina. Together with Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, and archbishops of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, His Holiness conducted a divine service. During the Exaltation of the Cross ceremony, the image of the crucifixion was carried to the center of the church, and the Patriarch, in accordance with the canons, to allow all those gathered for the celebration to see the shrine, raised the Cross, turning it to all four sides. The faithful offered prayers and veneration of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ and rejoiced in the fruits of Christ's suffering: the redemption of humanity from original sin and the Savior's victory over hell and death. About a thousand believers took part in the joint prayer – in the church and outside its walls on the monastery grounds. Addressing them, His Holiness the Vladyka said that he stepped onto the land of Polotsk with spiritual awe, to the place where Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk trod, to the place where the lamp of burning Orthodox faith has been lit since ancient times. "Polotsk is not only one of the oldest cities, it is one of the spiritual centers of Holy Rus'," the Patriarch emphasized. "I am glad to pray with you at the tomb of Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk and to continue our prayerful communion, strengthening and supporting each other," he admitted. The Exaltation of the Honourable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord is one of the twelve great feasts of the Orthodox Church. The holiday was originally established in memory of the finding of the Lord's Cross in 326 by the Equal-to-the-Apostles Queen Helena, the mother of the first Christian emperor Constantine the Great. Since the 7th century, the commemoration of the return of the Cross from Persia by the Greek Emperor Heraclius (in the 620s) has been associated with this day. Since the power of the Cross was revealed in the victories of pious rulers over enemies and in the triumph of Christianity over paganism, the main hymn of the Exaltation is a prayer for the Christian people. According to tradition, priests traditionally wear vestments of purple color on this day, signifying the highest spirituality and the sacrificial feat of the Savior. -0-