The Church of the Life-Giving Trinity (Trinity Cathedral) is one of two cathedrals of Gomel eparchy. The Live-giving Trinity is a single three-faced God, giving life. Such a high cosecration this church has.

And an appropriate place was chosen for its construction – the highest point of the Dnieper River bank. It was erected in 1880 there, where once the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross stood, a small and wooden one. It burnt down along with the most part of the city during terrible fire.

Believers fr om the nearby villages gathered in a new church for services. There were a lot of people in the church, its popularity and believers’ love were growing.

But in 1932 during the policy of theomachism implementation in the country, the trouble burst out: the dean of the church of that time, Father Adam Zhinovich was arrested and subjected to repression. The land, wh ere Christian communities had been known since the XI century, turned out to be left empty, cold and nonfunctioning. The building was used then for storing of state archives.

The real tragedy broke out during hard war times. In 1941 at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the temple turned out to be in the firing line. Bright golden domes were a good target for fascists. And in order to reduce the aiming fire of enemy aviation and artillery, the Red Army commanders made a decision to blow up the church.

The sanctified church resisted for a long time, they tried to blow up the solid walls three times. But they had never thoroughly succeeded in it. The domes fell, but the wounded, partially destroyed church was still standing.

What the war didn’t do, the postwar hapless time did. People needed to restore life, therefore the church was dismantled for building materials.

1990’s are signified as revival for many churches. The Holy and Trinity parish was also reviving in Zhlobin. A 33-years old archpriest, Vasiliy Pilipenko, became its dean in 1992. Despite his young age, he was an worldly-wise man, who had overcome the war in Afghanistan, experienced pastor-hermit.

In autumn 1992, the foundation stone was laid under the new church construction practically on the place of the old one, destroyed in 1941.

Hard time of “perestroika” at the break of epoch, the time of overall shortage and impoverishment didn’t promise easy and rapid realization of the expensive project. But nevertheless, the church was restored for only 3 years. Financial supply of enterprises, voluntary personal donation assissted in it greatly. In short, the church was being restored all together.

The favourable start was crowned with success. In 1995, the consecration of the church took place. Metropolitan Philaret of Minsk and Slutsk, the Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus took part in it. Patriarch Alexey II awarded the builders of the church with high church rewards, the archpriest Vasiliy Pilipenko was awarded with a mitre.

The Church of the Life-Giving Trinity lives and functions in Zhlobin. The services are held before a vast number of people, the spirituality of the flock is growing, the creation of the temple complex is going on. Here, except for the initial structure, a tower-belfry has appeared, as well as wonderful gates, a Sunday school and the school of icon-painting have opened.

The long-suffering church lives a new period, it will be long and peaceful. As the spiritual can’t be destroyed, it can only be created, to be rejoiced and lived with it. Look at this church, feel its atmosphere, recollect bitter pages of its history and you will see.