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Saint Efrosinya Polotskaya

by Veronika Bormotko, a student of 7th form; from secondary school 28, Mogilev, Belarus

Saint Efrosinya Polotskaya  (internet: yandex.by (unknown person))
Saint Efrosinya Polotskaya (internet: yandex.by (unknown person))

Saint Efrosinya Polotskaya
(Princess Predslava - the granddaughter of a prince of Polotsk, Vseslav, in history he is known as Prince Vseslav the Magician or Vseslav Charodey)
(1110-1173)

My hero is St. Efrosinya Polotskaya, because she did a lot for our country, Belarus. She wrote books and taught children.  Efrosinya Polotskaya was born in Polotsk. She was the daughter of Prince George Vseslavich and his wife Sofia.  Efrosinya Polotskaya was a Princess Predslava and a highly educated woman of her time. She had a good knowledge of geography, Greek, Latin and other sciences.

internet: yandex.by (unknown person)
internet: yandex.by (unknown person)

When Efrosinya was 12, she became a nun. She refused all proposals of marriage and, without her parents' knowledge, ran away to the convent where her aunt was the abbess and became a nun. She opened schools and hospitals. She taught people to read and write. She copied and wrote books by hand. She did many useful things for Belarus. She also built two churches, and one, the St. Spass-Efrosinya convent in Polotsk, still stands today and is considered to be the most precious monument of early Belarusian architecture. And of course, the Cross of St. Efrosinya of Polotsk.

the monument to Saint Efrosinya Polotskaya (internet: yandex.by (unknown person))
the monument to Saint Efrosinya Polotskaya (internet: yandex.by (unknown person))

Towards the end of her life, she undertook a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where she died sometime after 1167. Her body, after the conquest of Jerusalem by Saladin in 1187, was carried by the monks to Kiev and deposited there in the Monastery of the Caves. It was only in 1910 that the relics of the saint were brought back to her native town of Polatsk.

In my point of view Efrosinya Polotskaya is an outstanding person of Belarus and a hero for the people of our country.

Page created on 4/28/2012 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 4/28/2012 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

Related Links

The MY HERO Project - For Veronika's story about The Cross of St. Efrosinya, a beloved religious artifact of the Belarusian people.
The MY HERO Project - For another story about Saint Efrosinya Polotskaya, also from Belarus.