On the day of commemoration of the finding of the icon of the Mother of God "Barkolabovskaya", on July 24, 2026, celebrations dedicated to the 385th anniversary of the foundation of the monastery were held at the Barkolabovsky Ascension Convent of the Bobruisk diocese.
The day before, on the evening of July 23, at the end of the all-night vigil, participants of a traditional religious procession from the city of Mogilev arrived at the monastery. About 300 pilgrims covered the 40-kilometer journey from the Nikolsky Convent in Mogilev to the Barkolabovskaya monastery, carrying the list of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God "Barkolabovskaya". Prayer services were held at particularly revered places along the way.
The Divine Liturgy in front of the cathedral church of the monastery was celebrated by Archbishop Sophrony of Mogilev and Mstislavsky, Bishop Seraphim of Bobruisk and Bykhov, Bishop Alexy of Baku and Azerbaijan, Rector of the Minsk Theological Academy Archimandrite Athanasius (Sokolov), clergy of the Bobruisk diocese and guests of the celebrations in holy orders.
Abbess of the Barkolabovsky Ascension Convent Abbess Angelina (Ruff), abbess of the Convent of the Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women of Bobruisk Abbess Paraskeva (Yelskaya), Abbess Anthony (Poluyanova), sisters of the monastery, representatives of the leadership of the Bykhovsky district, pilgrims and guests of the monastery prayed during the divine service.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, Archbishop Sophrony addressed the audience with an archpastoral address. His Eminence noted that the Mother of God knows the sorrows and needs of people and helps those who turn to Her in prayer with faith and love. Archbishop Sophrony also named the miraculous images of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which are famous in the Belarusian land, including the Zhirovichi, Belynichi, Barkolabovskaya and Mogilev-Bratsk icons.
Bishop Serafim thanked Archbishop Sophrony, Bishop Alexy, the clergy, monks and pilgrims for their joint prayer. The archpastor recalled that in July 1641, the Orthodox statesman Bogdan Stetkevich donated land for the foundation of the Voznesensky Convent in Barkolabovo.
Bishop Alexy also addressed the participants of the celebrations with a welcoming speech and presented the Barkolab monastery with an icon of St. Bartholomew the Apostle, consecrated on his relics in Baku.
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The Barkolabovo Icon of the Mother of God is one of the most revered shrines in Belarus. After the monastery was closed in the 1920s, the image was preserved by believers. In 1953, the icon was moved to the Holy Trinity Church in Bykhov, where it remained until the restoration of the monastery. On July 25, 2010, the shrine was solemnly returned to the Barkolabovsky Monastery.
The monastery annually celebrates the miraculous image: on July 24 — in memory of its acquisition, on July 25 — in memory of the transfer of the icon from the city of Bykhov to the Barkolabovsky monastery.