The history of Belarus is closely connected with such a relic as the cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk, whose traces are lost during the years of World War II. Historians and treasure hunters are still unsuccessfully trying to find this shrine.
The six-pointed cross was made by the jeweler Lazar Bohshey in 1161. The master carried out the order of the Polotsk princess Predslava, who later accepted 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 in size about 52 centimeters.
This church relic traveled a lot.
In the first quarter of the 13th century, it falls from Polotsk to Smolensk, and at the beginning of the 16th century it appears in Moscow as a military trophy and a great jewel. Here it is located in the royal treasury of Basil III and is used by the church very rarely, only on great holidays.
For an unknown reason, Tsar Ivan the Terrible during a military campaign again returns the cross back to Polotsk.
In 1812, to preserve the shrine from enemies, it is walled up in the walls of St. Sophia Cathedral. After the war, the cross is removed and returned to the church.
Under Soviet rule, the cross falls into the museum of the city of Mogilev.
During World War II and the advance of German troops, it was decided to evacuate museum valuables. Trucks carrying exhibits, including the cross, are surrounded by units of armies 16 and 20. After these events, traces of the shrine are lost. To date, this church relic has not been found.
