Minsk held celebrations on August 26 honoring the Minsk Icon of the Mother of God, one of the Belarusian capital’s principal Orthodox shrines.

The observances concluded with a large procession from the Zhirovichi Monastery and a concelebrated Divine Liturgy outside the Holy Spirit Cathedral, according to the Belarusian Orthodox Church.

Approximately 8,500 people took part in the solemn procession along Pobediteley Avenue. Pilgrims from Russia, Ukraine, Estonia, the Netherlands and Germany joined clergy and faithful in Minsk.

The festive service was led by Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus.

A central feature of this year’s celebrations was the fifth nationwide “Zhirovichi–Minsk” pilgrimage procession. Over nine days, participants covered approximately 250 kilometers, visited 21 churches and walked between 20 and 40 kilometers each day. They brought revered copies of the Minsk and Zhirovichi Icons of the Mother of God, along with other sacred objects, to the capital.

Metropolitan Veniamin described the procession primarily as a shared act of prayer. “The Mother of God is the protectress of our land,” the patriarchal exarch said, emphasizing that the feast brought together Belarusians and pilgrims from other countries.

After the liturgy, a service of glorification was held before the Minsk Icon. Special prayers for the restoration of peace were also offered during the service.

The feast of the Minsk Icon was established in remembrance of its miraculous appearance on the Svislach River on August 13/26, 1500. According to Church tradition, the icon had previously been kept in Kyiv before being thrown into the Dnieper during a Tatar raid. It was later found in Minsk, surrounded by an unusual radiance on the water, and taken to the castle Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos.

The event gave the icon its name and determined the date of its annual commemoration. The Minsk Icon is now kept at the Holy Spirit Cathedral.