A three-meter monument to Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker was unveiled today in Polotsk

September 24, Polotsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. A monument to Nicholas the Wonderworker was unveiled today in Polotsk, a BELTA correspondent reports from the solemn ceremony. The bronze monument, 3.5 m high, was presented to the Polotsk diocese of the Belarusian Orthodox Church by the Russian charity fund of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. A plaque is installed on the marble pedestal: "This monument is erected in honor of the visit of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' to Polotsk in 2009." The visit of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church to Polotsk is expected to take place on September 26-27 of this year. The bronze saint is installed near the Saint Euphrosyne Monastery, on the site of a destroyed monastery chapel, where in 1910 the last stop was made before the relics of Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk were delivered to the monastery from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. As noted in a conversation with a BELTA correspondent, the chairman of the Polotsk City Executive Committee, Vladimir Tochilo, the name of Nicholas the Wonderworker has special significance for ancient Polotsk. The sisterhood of the Polotsk diocese, created at the request of Euphrosyne of Polotsk and restored at the end of the 20th century, is named in honor of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker and Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk. Saint Nicholas embodies the protection of the Fatherland and faith, and Polotsk is a city of warriors. The Polotsk banners took part in the Battle of Kulikovo, the Battle of Grunwald, the Livonian War, the Northern War with the Swedes, and the Patriotic War of 1812. The Great Patriotic War left an indelible mark on the history of Polotsk. In addition, annually on the day of remembrance of Saint Nicholas, December 19, students of Polotsk Secondary School No. 4 take the oath of cadets. This date was the church and corps holiday of the Polotsk Cadet Corps, one of the oldest military educational institutions in the country, which celebrates its 175th anniversary this year. For a long time, the St. Nicholas Cathedral operated in Polotsk, which the city authorities intend to restore. Now there are two monuments to saints in Polotsk - Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk and Nicholas the Wonderworker. The monument in Polotsk is the 23rd monument donated to cities by the charity fund of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker and the first monument to the saint in Belarus. -0-