The initiative of students of Vitebsk State University named after P. M. Masherov and Vitebsk State Medical University to restore temples was launched at the suggestion of Sergey Nazarev, the teacher-organizer of VSMU. The first visit took place to the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built in 1895, in the agricultural town of Candle, Beshenkovichi district, at the invitation of the rector, Priest Alexander (Markevich). The students put the temple's grounds and interior in order.
The participants noted the importance of such work: for many, it was the first experience of participating in parish affairs and communicating with local residents; international students showed interest in the history and cultural heritage of the region.
The project has gone beyond clean-up days and includes studying archives, communicating with local historians, preparing drawings and planned exhibitions. Sergey Nazarev said that during the work personal and historical connections were discovered: his family visited the church in Sveche in the 1930s; in addition, the church of St. Nicholas in the neighboring Village turned out to be an architectural replica of the lost Vitebsk church of John the Baptist, which was previously located on the site of the current medical university.
According to the rector of the parish in Sveche, Priest Alexander (Markevich), conditions have been created for pilgrims and volunteers — there is a summer gazebo and a winter heated refectory; the territory allows for youth meetings, research, concerts and exhibitions. In the future, the arrangement of cells with the possibility of staying in them for several days is being considered; in the village of Martinovo there is a church of St. Alexander Nevsky requiring restoration. The priest stressed that the main task is to draw public attention to the fate of the temples.
VSU students joined the initiative: university rector Valentina Vasilyevna Bogatyreva said that students helped the residents of the Spaso-Euphrosyne Convent prepare for the 900th anniversary of the monastery and participated in festive events as volunteers; landscaping work was also carried out on the site of the former Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Virolya, Gorodok district, where an information stand was installed. about the history of the shrine.
Archpriest Vladimir Dogodka, Dean of the Gorodok district, noted that the installed stand draws attention to the history of the place. With the blessing of Archbishop Dimitri of Vitebsk and Orsha, local residents and volunteers are considering the possibility of building a small cemetery chapel in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary; it is assumed that assistance will be provided by donations and labor participation.