The history of Belarus is closely connected with such relics as the cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk, the traces of which are lost during the Great Patriotic War. Historians and treasure hunters are still trying unsuccessfully to find this shrine.
The six-pointed cross was made by the jeweler Lazar Bogsha in 1161. The master carried out the order of the Polotsk princess Predslava, who later took monasticism and the name Efrosinya. On the cross adorned with precious stones, gold and silver were the faces and relics of the saints. The cross itself was quite large, about 52 centimeters.
This church relic has traveled extensively.
In the first quarter of the 13th century, from Polotsk, it ends up in Smolensk, and at the beginning of the 16th century it ends up in Moscow as a war trophy and a great jewel. Here she is in the royal treasury of Vasily III and is used by the church very rarely, only on great holidays.
For an unknown reason, Tsar Ivan the Terrible again returns the cross back to Polotsk during a military campaign.
In 1812, for the preservation of the shrine from enemies, it was walled up within the walls of the St. Sophia Cathedral. After the end of the war, the cross is removed and returned to the church.
Under Soviet rule, the cross ends up in the museum of the city of Mogilev.
During the Great Patriotic War and the German offensive, it was decided to evacuate the museum's treasures. Trucks carrying exhibits, including the cross, along with units of the 16th and 20th armies, are surrounded. After these events, traces of the shrine are lost. Until now, this church relic has not been found.
