The Temple of the Holy Trinity (the Temple of the Holy Spirit) in Orsha

The beautiful and mysterious Orsha is spread out over the bank of the majestic Dnepr, 2 km fr om Vitebsk; despite of its important role in railway traffic of Belarus, it keeps a lot of secrets to itself. Under the open sky of the picturesque town there are lots of famous attractions which Belarus is justifiably proud of. One of such sightings attractive to tourists is the Trinity Temple (the Temple of the Holy Spirit) that has perfectly survived and is still open to parishioners. However, the temple has a very unusual fate.

On the site where the temple has appeared there was Kuteinsky Monastery that had got its name after the Kuteinka River that ran into the Dnepr. The legend says that upon its construction there appeared an icon of the Mother of God that was a miracle. The icon is still installed in Orsha Convent, and it is popularly known for its healing powers in Belarus, the residents of which make a pilgrimage to the wonderworking place. On the basis of the monastery there was erected the Epiphany Temple made of wood that has not survived in fire, and also the Temple of the Nativity, today – the Temple of the Holy Trinity.

Kuteinsky Monastery in Orsha has become the center of cultural life of the district as within it there were a lot of institutions ranging fr om a school to workshops of icon painters. It is remarkable that talented masters of the monastery travelled far and wide in Belarus and even visited Muscovy. In the monastery there was the largest printing office of the time wh ere Spiridon Sobol published the first spelling-book in the Belarusian language. It is stated that Nicolay II – the last Russian Emperor – came into Kuteinsky Monastery on solemn occasion.

In Kuteinsky Monastery there lived Orthodox monks that had to look for a new place of residence in some other temple due to the disagreement with Uniate priests. Upon the introduction of the Soviet authorities everything in the territory of Kuteinsky Monastery fell into decline when all buildings were transformed into dwelling houses and garages. After the collapse of the USSR in Kuteinsky Monastery there were carried out longstanding restoration works. Today within its walls there are numerous workshops wh ere wonderful iconostases are created.

The two-storey temple appeared in the XVII century and was designed in the then popular style of Baroque. The Temple of the Holy Trinity (the Temple of the Holy Spirit) is a quadrangular building with a five-sided apse and a two-tier belfry. The temple is decorated around the perimeter with original ornamented gables. After the long restoration of the former greatness the temple has been functioning.

The Temple of the Holy Trinity (the Temple of the Holy Spirit) has passed through many challenges over its existence but survived by a miracle for descend. Its doors are open to Orthodox believers that can pray for the health and also for any willing people who are interested in historical and cultural heritage of the country.