Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk

Saint Euphrosyne was a 12th century princess of Polotsk. Polotsk was a medieval principality in Eastern Europe, located in what is today Belarus. At 12 years old she gave up her riches and royal privileges to become a nun, perceiving that heavenly glory is greater than earthly prestige. Saint Euphrosyne founded two monasteries, was known for her love for learning and of the arts, and is celebrated today as the patron saint of Belarus. 

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Transcript

 God is glorious in his saints! 
 
 Welcome to the Christian Saints Podcast. My name is dr Darren Ong, recording from Sepang in Malaysia. In this podcast, we explore the lives of the Christian saints, from the Anglican, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions. Today, we commemorate Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk, the patron saint of Belarus.
 
 Saint Euphrosyne was born as Princess Pradslava in early 12th century Polotsk (in modern-day Belarus) who gave up her royal privilege to serve God as a nun and abbess. She was the daughter of Prince Svyatoslav-Georgy, the ruler of Polotsk. Polotsk was a powerful state at that time, controlling important trade routes between the vikings in the north, and the black sea to the south. Pradslava’s grandfather was Vseslav, probably the greatest leader in Polotsk’s history. 

 As a girl Princess Pradslava demonstrated a great love for learning and for prayer. At the age of 12, against the wishes of her parents, young Pradslava turned down a proposal of marriage and decided to become a nun instead, taking the name Euphrosyne. Here is an account of her escape from the “Life of Saint Euphrosyne”, the most important contemporary account of her life. This excerpt was translated by Alexander Nadson:
 
 It so happened that the maiden was endowed with the gracious fruits of a righteous disposition and was exceedingly fond of learning. The news of her wisdom and scholarship, and of her bodily beauty — for she was fair of face — spread round about. Her beauty attracted to the house of her father many famous princes, each contriving to secure her hand for his son. However, to all the envoys sent by them on behalf of their sons, her father's answer was: "May it be accord­ing to the will of God." Among all those princes there was one, far superior to all the others in power and riches. He also sent envoys, asking her to become his son's wife. And she became of age and was 12 years old. Seeing this, her father began to talk to his wife: "It is time for us to give Pradsłava in marriage to the prince." But she answered: "May it be according to God's will and yours, my prince." Having heard this, Pradsłava — for that was how she was called by her parents before her baptism — began to think, saying: "May the Holy Spirit inspire my thoughts." Her mind being illuminated, she said to herself: "It appears that my father wishes to give me away in marriage, and if this happens I shall not escape the cares of this world." Then she continued thus: "Our ancestors who lived before us — what did they achieve? They took wives and were given away in marriage, they ruled, but they did not live forever. Their life passed away, their fame was consumed like dust, being more flimsy than a spider's web. But on the other hand there were women who, filled with manly courage, followed in the footsteps of Christ, their Bridegroom and submitted their bodies to torments and their heads to the sword. There were others, too, who did not bow their necks to the steel, but cut away all the desires of the flesh with a spiritual sword and subjected their bodies to fasting, vigils, genuflections and prostrations. Their memory lives on the earth, whilst their names are written in heaven where they praise God unceasingly together with the angels. This earthly fame is but dust and ashes: it will disperse like smoke and melt away like a vapour." While she was thus reasoning in her heart, her mind became more and more drawn to the service of God. One thought persisted in her: "Would not my life be better if I became a nun? I would be then under an abbess and sisters, learning how to pass the days of my life with fear of God constantly in my heart." Having resolved thus, she — covertly from her father and mother — made her way to a convent.
 
 
 Her aunt, an abbess helped her to make her escape. In her very early life in the monastery, she occupied herself as a copyist, making copies of books to earn money, which she then distributed to the poor. She then received a vision from an angel, leading her to build a church. We again read from the account of this event from the life of Saint Euphrosuyne:
 
 when she laid down to rest a little after the long vigil of prayers to God, she saw a vision. An angel took her and led her to the church of the Holy Saviour, the chapel-of-ease of the church of the Holy Wisdom, in a place which the people called Sialco.28 And the angel of the Lord showed this place to Euphrosyne and said to her: "It is here that you must be." And she was astonished and said to herself in wonderment: "What may all this mean?" She saw this vision two or three times that night. When she woke up, she began to praise God with trepida­tion, saying: "Glory be to you,О God, glory be to you for making me worthy to see today the face of your angel." Then she began to recite the psalm: "My heart is ready, О God, my heart is ready", and another: "I was cast upon you, from my mother's womb you are my God. You have done as you wished to me, your servant." As she was finishing her prayers the bishop came. The same angel told him: "Establish the servant of God Euphrosyne in the church of the Holy Saviour in the place called Sialco. For it is a holy place. She is worthy of the kingdom of heaven, and her prayer rises to God as a fragrant myrrh. The Holy Spirit rests on her head as a crown on the head of the Church. Her life shines before the angels of God as the sun shines over the earth." And the bishop, overcome by fear and trembling, rose up and went to see her. When Euphrosyne saw the bishop, she made a deep bow and said: "Holy master, give the blessing." And he answered: "May God bless you, my child, and give strength to overcome all visible and invisible enemies." And she, having made a bow, said: "Amen. May it be according to your word, holy master." 

 This church of the Holy Savior that she built still stands to this day, almost 900 years later. She also built two monasteries, one for men and one for women. This church is known to be an architectural marvel: we will quote again from Nadson, in the preface of his translation of the Life of Saint Euphrosyne:
 
 the church of the Holy Saviour still stands and is considered to be the most precious monument of early Byelorussian architecture. Aleksejev has called it "the highest expression of the architectural concept of the land of Połack",8 whereas Voronin has this to say about it: "The dynamics of the 'tower-like' composition had no parallel in the whole of previous East Slav and Byzantine architecture, and was rightly understood to be a manifestation of the 'native' taste, sharply upsetting the traditional (i. e. Byzantine —A. N.) cross-domed plan of the church."9 The author of this early Byelorussian masterpiece was a local architect, John, and we owe the knowledge of his name to the Life of Saint Euphrosyne. 
 
 Saint Euphrosyne was renowned as a patron of the arts and architecture. Accounts of her life emphasize her great love of learning. When pleading with her father to let her sister join her in her convent, she told him “"Let my sister Hardzisłava come to me so that she may learn to read and write." This blurb from the official website of Belarus goes through her contributions as a patron of the arts:
 
 Reverend Euphrosyne founded a convent and a friary, which became centres of enlightenment in the Polotsk principality. She contributed to the rebuilding of the Sofia Cathedral and the work on the Polotsk chronicles. A cross Euphrosyne had made bearing her name is a unique masterpiece of the ancient Belarusian applied art.

Euphrosyne also composed music, and is regarded as the first Belarusian art patron. Under her direction and using her money, the Saviour Church was built in the 1150s. It is the finest example of the Polotsk architectural school. Her name is connected with the emergence of the Madonna icon known as Hodigitria of Polotsk, which was brought from Byzantium.
 
 
 This Cross of Saint Euphrosyne, mentioned in the blurb, is a famous lost artwork. It is a beautiful gem-studded cross with two horizontal bars tht Saint Euphrosyne commissioned for the Holy Saviour church. This cross was a beloved symbol of Belarus for many centuries. Unfortunately, it was lost during the German invasion of the Soviet Union in the Second World War. 
 
 At the end of her life, having seen the two monasteries she founded flourish, Saint Euphrosyne expressed a desire to go to Jerusalem and die there. So she entrusted the care of her monasteries to one of her sisters, and set off for this final pilgrimage. We read from this account in SAINT EUPHROSYNE OF POLACK IN THE HISTORICAL AND SYMBOLICAL

CONTEXT OF FEMALE SANCTITY by TAISIYA BELYAKOVA, which was a paper presented in the Fourth International Congress of Belarussian Studies.

 The story of Euphrosyne’s travels started with the idea to end her life

in Jerusalem, so her departure for Jerusalem was represented as a way to

another world. All of the people were crying and asking her not to leave them alone, which was similar to the procedure of farewell with dying persons.

Having arrived to the gates, she fell on the earth saying “Lord Jesus Christ!

Let it not to be a sin that I have dared to walk in thy footsteps and come

into this Holy City!” This episode represents the notion of pilgrims to imitate

Christ’s way (imitatio Christi).

Euphrosyne visited the Holy Sepulchre three times and on the third day

she appealed to God, saying “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, born by the Virgin

Mary for our salvation! Thou said: ‘Ask and you shall receive.’ ... So I am

asking from Thou, O merciful one, to finish the place of my request: take the

spirit from me in Your Holy City Jerusalem and resettle me to Your highest

(heavenly) city of Jerusalem and let me die in the bosom of the patriarch

Abraham with all saints. Amen.”

The idea of “dying in Jerusalem” has a deep symbolical or even mystical

meaning to repeat the episodes of the Saviour’s life, his way of the cross, the

way to the passion and death on the one hand and the way to Resurrection

into the eternal, heavenly life on the other. The last fragment of the Vita

represents this concept very bitterly. Euphrosyne spent three days at the

Holy Sepulchre (the three days that Christ had been lying dead in the tomb),

which now brought her closer to the goal of Christian life – the salvation of

the soul in the “heavenly Jerusalem.”

After praying in the Holy Sepulchre, Euphrosyne very soon became sick

and could just lie in the convent of Mother of God awaiting death. And soon

her prayers about death in Jerusalem were heard by God who sent her an

angel saying the words of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary: “Blessed art thou

among women”, and also, “and blessed be thy work! And the gates have been

opened already, and all angels together gathered, holding candles, waiting to

meet thou. And the gift that you’re praying for by God, you will achieve.” The

fact of salvation preached by the angel here was motivated by the pious work

Euphrosyne had been doing during her life (asceticism, monasticism, religious

foundations, social work). And meeting death in Jerusalem (the closest way to

the heavenly Jerusalem) is a particular gift for her devotional life.

 Saint Euphrosyne was commemorated a saint in the Orthodox Church, with a feast day on the 23rd of May. Let us read from her Troparion and Kontakion, which are hymns sung in her honour during this feast day:
 
 Thou didst give thy wealth to the poor,/ and despise the rank of princess and temporal betrothal./ Thou didst betroth thyself to Christ thy Bridegroom,/ and thy wreath was spiritual and bodily purity./ Now thou dost stand before Him:/ Remember us who venerate thee,/ O Euphrosyne.

Thou hast adorned thy virginity with almsgiving, as a lamp with oil;/ thou hast entered Christ's bright bridal chamber with the wise virgins./ We bless thee, O Euphrosyne as we honor thy fragrant relics/ and we cry out with compunction: thou hast boldness before Christ;/ pray that we may be delivered from the stench of our passions, and that our souls may be saved.
 
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Christian saints podcast. Look for the Christian Saints podcast page on Facebook or Instagram, or look for us on Twitter at podcast_saints. All music in this episode was composed by my good friend, James John Marks of Generative sounds. Please check out his music at https://generativesoundsjjm.bandcamp.com/
 
 
 
 
 
What tongue, brothers, is capable of rendering worthy praise to the shining memory of the blessed bride of Christ, Euphrosyne? She was the defender of the oppressed, the consoler of the sorrowing, she clothed the naked, visited the sick, and was counsellor to all. Such was Euphrosyne whose heart was filled with divine wisdom; Euphrosyne — the unwithering flower from the heavenly garden; Euphrosyne — the high-flying eagle that flew from west to east, the light illuminating the land of Połack. That is why, while Thessalonika is proud of its Demetrius and Vyšgorod of its Martyrs,46we sing our praises in the following manner: Blessed be the city of Połack where such a flower — the blessed Euphrosyne — has blossomed; blessed are the people living therein; blessed are her parents; blessed is the womb from which the blessed Euphrosyne came; blessed is her birth, blessed is her growing up!О Euphrosyne, worthy of all praise! Blessed are your works and your heroic deeds in honour of God; blessed are your monasteries; blessed are all those who dwell in the monasteries of the Holy Saviour and the Holy Mother of God; blessed are the people who have you as their intercessor, О blessed bride of Christ our God.Pray for the fold which you have assembled and united to the Lord who is worthy of all praise and adoration, Father, Son and Holy Ghost now and forever.