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Pilgrimage tours around Belarus

“Trans-Express” agency offers you individual and group pilgrimage tours around Belarus. From the great variety of tours (according to the subject, geography and duration of the trip) you can choose the one you need.

 Pilgrimage as the type of traveling emerged many centuries ago, along with the Christianity. From times immemorial Christians traveled to holy and memorable places to bow down and feel themselves closer to the God.

Today people assert that these kinds of trips are not only a part of their spiritual development but also indispensable cultural experience. In the whole world millions of people go in pilgrimage tours every year and the number of such people increases.

According to Elena Solovyova, the tourist counselor in Ministry of Sport and Tourism, “the history of the development of all religions is closely connected with culture and architecture. Religious buildings and erections are very important sources for organizing pilgrimage trips and tours. Today the amount of tourists who buy religious tours increases and this sphere is developing rather quickly”. (Web site “BELTA” 18.09.2009)

The variety of pilgrimage tours is connected with the unique fate of our country. Although it is situated on the crossroad of two main Christian cultures – Orthodox and Catholic Belarusian people still preserve ancient traditions of funny heathen holidays and rites.

       

Due to its geo-political location Belarus has always been at the joint of two worlds, two cultures and ideologies and has always been a very special area of interaction between Byzantine Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church. All these make Belarus a country of unique culture and historical heritage. The development of the Christianity in Belarus is not less unique.

The emergence of the Christianity is closely connected with Kiev Prince Vladimir and his Christianization of Kievan Rus in 988. Before this all tribes called Rus were heathen. The first bishopric in Belarus was founded in 992 in Polotsk (Polack). Minsk, Vitebsk, Mstislavl and Mogilev regions were parts of Polotsk bishopric.

The East–West Schism divided the Christianity into the Eastern Church and the Roman Catholic Church in XI century. Later the Eastern Church divided into many Churches but until now, the Orthodox Church remains the largest.

 

The Uniate Church (or the Greek Catholic Church) became firmly established in 1596 and dominated 243 years. There was only one Orthodox bishopric – Mogilev (Belorussian) bishopric – with its cathedral church in Mogilev-upon-Dnepr. Uniate bishops dissolved the Greek Catholic Church in the Russian Empire, and all its property was transferred to the Orthodox state church in February 1893.

The last changes in the life of the Orthodox Church began in 1989 soon after the celebration of the 1000 anniversary of the Christianization of Kievan Rus.

At the beginning of 2009 there were 1473 Orthodox Communities, 1274 working Orthodox Churches and 152 were being built in Belarus.

 

The Roman Catholic Church is a traditional religion in Belarus. The Catholicism began actively spreading in Belarus at the end of XVI century.

Today Catholic Church uses two main ceremonies: Roman or Latin one and Byzantine-Slavonic or Greek-Catholic one.

Many Catholic Churches are not only religious but also cultural and educational centers.

At the beginning of 2009 there were 467 Greek Catholic Communities, 451 working Catholic Churches and 35 were being erected.

Together with the Administrative center of the Belarusian Exarchate (Belarusian Orthodox Church) and Minsk Diocese we organize Orthodox pilgrimage trips to holy places in Belarus. In cloisters and churches all pilgrims can take part in religious ceremonies, receive the ministrations or talk to monks and priests.

“Trans-Express” agency organizes also religious tours called “At the crossroads of two Christian cultures”. They include visiting the most famous Belarusian churches both Orthodox and Catholic. These trips can become a great opportunity for tourists to learn about the history, customs, legends of ancient cloisters and churches, spiritual traditions of two Christian religions.