In the Sanctuary of the Mother of God in Brest there is a miracle-working Icon of the Mother of God of Brest — Mother the Saviour, which is a copy of the Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary from the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome. The main feast is celebrated on the last Sunday of June. J Contacts
Title of the Sanctuary:
Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Remission Day:
Last Sunday of June
Address:
Pushkinskaya 1-1, 224005, Brest.
Tel.:
+375 162 26 43 30
From the history of the icon
Isn’t it the icon, which in the early XVII cent. was a precious treasure of the famous Belarusian noble family Patsiej-Tyshkevich? Probably, bishop Adam Ipatsij-Patsiej, who was a member of the Belarusian delegation sent to conclude the Union, brought it from Rome. It was Pope Clemens VIII, who on January 23rd, 1595 took over the Orthodox population of our country under the patronage of the Roman-Catholic Church, and presented the icon of the Mother of God. After returning to the fatherland, bishop Adam placed the relic in the Dominican Church in the village of Sharauka in Padolle region. During a tartar raid the icon was taken away, but the glorious general Mikola Patotski crushed the godless, returned the icon and placed it in his family burial vault in Brest. Roaring events didn’t stay aside from the icon during Russian raid in 1660 and in 1851 when there was a fire in the Dominican Church, as well as much later, when communist authorities established the new order.
Time didn’t cherish Brest shrines. They were destroyed in 1831 when tsar’s authorities ruined the Old Town and erected a fortress instead.
The present-day cathedral was built in the late 19th century. In the middle of the 20th cent. it was transformed into a museum, and between 1948-1952 it underwent a thorough reconstruction. Such it remained until now: with towers dismantled, vaults and frescos destroyed, floors built inside. All liturgical stuff and church decoration was burnt. Human mind alone can’t grasp how out of 37 icons one remained. For sure, Lord needed that in the end of the XX century people finally recognized that the holy image had been chosen by Him and crowned it.
аThe Coronation
June 30th, 1996 was selected for coronation celebrations. Thousands of believers from Belarus and Poland became witnesses of that event. Present at the solemn celebrations were Cardinal Kazimierz Świątek and Apostolic Nuncio in Belarus Archbishop Dominik Hrušovský. The Apostolic Capital representative read out a special breve of the Pope: “... In accordance with the decision of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, which we consider competent, by Our Apostolic Authority we authorize the petitioner Cardinal Kazimierz Świątek, on our behalf and with our honour lay the crown on the icon according to the regulated liturgical procedure. We have deep belief that all those who will honour the image, will strengthen their worship of the Mother of God. There are no barriers in this respect,” says the breve, which was declared in three languages — Latin, Belarusian and Polish. Together, the two hierarchs attached two crowns to the icon. One — above the Infant Jesus, the other — above the Virgin Mary.
Materials taken from the article by Edward Tarletski Coronation of the miraculous Icon of the Mother of God of Brest// Nasha vera. 1996 № 1(2).
Metropolitan Kondrusiewicz to bless students for a new academic year
On Thursday, September 16 2010, a Holy Mass and a blessing ceremony of students for a new academic year will be held in the Minsk Archcathedral of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The 18.30 Liturgy will be headed by Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, Metropolitan of Minsk and Mahilyow.
Copy of the Shroud of Turin will be brought to Vorsha
Between July 4-8, 2010
the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary parish in the town of Vorsha (the Diocese of Vitebsk) invites
everyone to participate in the ceremony of the adoration of a copy of the
Shroud of Turin. On these days between 9.00 and 21.00 the local Catholic church
will host various prayers.
Space bridge "Madrid - Minsk" is planned to be held in 2011
During the solemn
events of the World Youth Day, which will be taking place on August 16-21, 2011 in Madrid (Spain), it
is planned to hold a praying space bridge "Madrid - Minsk" owing to
which Belarusian believers will unite in a common prayer with the Holy Father
and participants of the solemnities as it was in 2008 in Ivianets. The plan
has it that a delegation from Belarus
will also head for Madrid.
June 30th, 1996 was selected for coronation celebrations. Thousands of believers from Belarus and Poland became witnesses of that event. Present at the solemn celebrations were Cardinal Kazimierz Świątek and Apostolic Nuncio in Belarus Archbishop Dominik Hrušovský. The Apostolic Capital representative read out a special breve of the Pope: “... In accordance with the decision of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, which we consider competent, by Our Apostolic Authority we authorize the petitioner Cardinal Kazimierz Świątek, on our behalf and with our honour lay the crown on the icon according to the regulated liturgical procedure. We have deep belief that all those who will honour the image, will strengthen their worship of the Mother of God. 
There are no barriers in this respect,” says the breve, which was declared in three languages — Latin, Belarusian and Polish. Together, the two hierarchs attached two crowns to the icon. One — above the Infant Jesus, the other — above the Virgin Mary.