Cross of Saint Euphrosyne

The Cross of Saint Euphrosyne was a revered relic of the Russian Orthodox Church and Belarus, which was made in 1161 by Lazar Bohsha for the order of Saint Euphrosyne of Polatsk and lost in June 1941 in Mahilyow.

Euphrosyne, mother superior of Polatsk Convent, ordered the cross to decorate the new Transfiguration church. The simple cypress cross was decorated with gold, gemstones and enamel, depicting Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, Theotokos, the Four Evangelists, archangels Gabriel and Michael, and three patron saints of Euphrosyne and her parents. The work cost 120 hryvnas. Inside, the cross contained pieces of the Holy Cross and other relics.

In the 13th century, the cross was relocated to Smolensk; after a long travel across the country, it was returned to Polatsk in 1841. The cross was thoroughly photographed for the record in 1896. In 1928 the nationalized relic was taken to Minsk, then, in 1929, to Mahilyow, and was locked in a safe box of the regional communist party headquarters.

The cross disappeared during the swift occupation of Belarus by German forces (June–July 1941).

There are no reliable accounts of what happened to the cross in 1941. There are at least three different versions (other than destruction by fire or plunder):

In 1997, Nikolay Kuzmich, a craftsman from Brest, completed an officially endorsed replica of the cross, now on display in the Polatsk cathedral.

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