With the blessing of Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavsky, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, a part of the Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be brought to the borders of the Belarusian Orthodox Church from the Kazan Cathedral of St. Petersburg on February 10, 2024.
For 2000 years, Christians all over the world have been falling down to the shrine with faith and hope, hoping for the help of the Most Pure Virgin Mary. According to church tradition, the Most Holy Theotokos personally wove a Belt of camel's hair and, shortly before Her Dormition, handed it and Her Robe to the Apostle Thomas.
At first, the Robe and Belt were passed down from generation to generation by the heirs of two Jerusalem widows who received the shrine from the hands of St. Thomas the Apostle. Then, in the IV century, the clothes of the Most Holy Theotokos were brought to Constantinople, enclosed in a golden ark, sealed with the royal seal and laid in the Blachernae Church in the city of Constantinople. In honor of this significant event, the church holiday "The Position of the Honest Robe of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Blachernae" was established, which is celebrated on July 15.
Only a few centuries later, with the blessing of Patriarch Euthymius II of Constantinople and at the request of Emperor Leo the Wise, who prayed to God for the healing of his wife Empress Zoya from an unclean spirit, the ark was opened. Despite the passage of time, the Belt has completely preserved its original appearance, and the unclean spirit that overcame the sick woman left her. As a sign of gratitude to the Mother of God, Empress Zoya embroidered a Belt with gold thread.
Subsequently, the shrine was divided into parts, one of which is now carefully preserved in the Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos. Constantly staying in the monastery, the shrine leaves it only for a short period to visit Greek cities. However, in 2011 an exception was made to this rule: the shrine was brought to many cities in Russia, where about three million believers worshiped it. People went to the Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos, offered their prayers to Her, and the Most Pure in response did not leave their requests unheard, showing various miracles and healings. Married couples received relief from infertility by diligently addressing the Mother of God in front of Her great shrine.
In 2011, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Kazan Cathedral, a piece of the Belt was transferred to eternal storage in St. Petersburg. Since that moment, hundreds of pilgrims have flocked here daily to pray to the Mother of God and venerate the shrine, which is placed in an ark with fragments of the relics of Saints Righteous Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Most Holy Theotokos.
By the grace of God, this ark will be brought to Belarus from February 10 to March 17, where thousands of believers from different cities will be able to venerate the great shrine of the Christian world, asking the Mother of God for help and intercession.

The schedule of the offering of the shrine in the diocese of the Belarusian Orthodox Church:
February 10-15 - the city of Minsk, Holy Spirit Cathedral (February 10 from 16.00, on other days - from 7.00 to 21.00)
February 17-18 - Turov Diocese
February 19-22 - Gomel Diocese
February 23-24 - Bobruisk Diocese
February 25-27 - Mogilev Diocese
February 28-29 - Borisov Diocese
March 1-2 - Diocese of Slutsk
March 3 - Holy Dormition Zhirovichi Monastery
March 4-5 - Diocese of Leeds
March 6-8 - Grodno Diocese
March 9-10 - Brest Diocese
March 11-12 - Pinsk Diocese
March 14 - Diocese of Polotsk
March 15-17 - Vitebsk Diocese