St. Sophia Cathedral

St. SophiaCathedral is one of the oldest Orthodox church buildings in Europe and the primary one manufactured from stone in Belarus. It has been nominated for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Erected in 1044-1066 at the orders of Prince Vseslav of Polotsk, the cathedral personified the Principality of Polotsk. St. Sophia in Polotsk became the third cathedral of this type constructed in Ancient Rus and the fourth one withinside the world. St. Sophia Cathedral in Polotsk, like its “elder sisters” in Kyiv and Novgorod, was constructed in the same layout as the well-known Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople. In the mid-18th century, it underwent prime maintenance withinside the historic fashion of the Vilna Baroque. Today site visitors can see their historic frescos and a duplicate of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper, concentrate on masterpieces of Belarusian and overseas organ music, and go to the museum of the records of the structure of the cathedral.

Location: Polotsk, Vitebsk Oblast, Belarus