Consecration of new Orthodox cemetery chapel of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Lenin 2019. I/XIII.
Thanks to the sponsorship of Polish businessman Andrzej Askaldowicz, the expertise of the Belarusian Association for the Preservation of Historical and Cultural Monuments under the leadership of Anton Astapovich, and the support of the Orthodox eparchate of Turau and Mazyr, the new chapel is a faithful replica of the former mid-19th century chapel, which had decayed irreparably.
The consecration took place on the Orthodox great feast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross (Sept. 27). Orthodox bishop of Turau and Mazyr Leanid presided, assisted by Father Dmitryj of Zhytkavichy; Roman Catholic bishop of Pinsk Antoni Dzjam’janka attended, as did Roman Catholic priests from Beras’tsje (Brest) and from Szczecin in Poland.
Now with a population of 650, the Polesian (Pripet Marshes) village of Lenin (Ленін – “Ljenin”) dates from at least the end of the 16th century. On the eve of World War II, Lenin was a thriving town of more than 2,000 people, and had fine wooden Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. Typical for towns in the former Pale of Settlement, Jews made up more than half the population. The murderous leader of the Bolsheviks Lenin did not give his name to the village; on the contrary Vladimir Ul’janov appears to have chosen the pseudonym Lenin after finding sponsors for his subversion among a group of Jewish traders from Lenin active in Vilnius.
The heavily wooded marshlands around Lenin sheltered an active resistance movement during three years of German occupation in World War II. In response to resistance action the Germans carried out indiscriminate mass reprisals, including the murder of more than 1,200 inhabitants on February 16, 1943; Lenin had already witnessed the Germans’ murder of more than 1,800 Jews from the town and surrounding area on August 14, 1942.
Асьвячэньне новай праваслаўнай могілкавай капліцы Ўзвышэньня Сьвятога Крыжа, Ленін 2019 г. I/XIII.
Дзякуй шчодрасьці польскага прадпрымальніка Андрэя Аскалдовіча (чыя маці паходзіла з Леніну), майстроўскай рэстарацыйнай працы Беларускага дабраахвотнага таварыства аховы помнікаў гісторыі й культуры пад кіраўніцтвам старшыні Антона Астаповіча ды падтрымцы тураўскай і мазырскай эпархіі праваслаўнай царквы, новая капліца праўдзівай копіяй старай, непапраўна гнілай драўлянай капліцы сярэдзіны 19-а ст.
Асьвячэньне адбылася на сьвята Ўзвышэньня Сьвятога Крыжа, 27 верасьня. Урачыстасьць узначальваў уладыка Тураўскай і мазырскай эпархіі Леанід у суправаджэньні айца Дмітрыя з Жыткавіч. Прысутнчалі таксама біскуп Пінскай дыяцэзіі Антоні Дзям’янка й ксяндзы з Берасьця й Шчэціну.
Churches of Belarus (part CCCXXXIV): new cemetery chapel of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Lenin.
Цэрквы Беларусі (частка CCCXXXIV): новая могілкавая капліца Ўзвышэньня Сьвятога Крыжа, Ленін.
