Turov. Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Lawrence.

Construction of the Turov Cathedral began in the mid-12th century. In the 13th century, the majestic temple was destroyed; during the Tatar raids, the former appanage Principality of Turov lost its political significance, but did not lose its spiritual authority. For several centuries, Turov continued to remain a cathedral city and the question of building a new cathedral was raised more than once. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Hieromartyr Mitrofan, Archbishop of Minsk and Turov, began the implementation of this project. Funds were raised for the construction of the temple, but the outbreak of the First World War, the revolution and the subsequent civil war delayed the saint’s undertaking for a whole century.

In 2006, through the care of His Grace Stephen, Bishop of Turov and Mozyr, a community was created in honor of Saints Cyril and Lawrence of Turov. For two years, local authorities did not give consent to the allocation of land for construction in Central Park. And only in 2008, on the personal instructions of the president, a plot of land was allocated, and the preparation of all the necessary documents began. On May 11, 2010, Metropolitan Philaret of Minsk and Slutsk laid the first stone for the foundation of the future cathedral. On May 11, 2013, the solemn consecration of the cathedral took place in honor of Saints Cyril and Lavrenty of Turov.

Before entering the cathedral grounds, you will pass through the entrance gate, designed in the form of a chapel and a two-tier bell tower. In the central arch of the gate you can find information about the cathedral, its ancient icons and the 10th century stone cross, which in 2013 was moved to its courtyard and installed on a special pedestal in the chapel. According to legend, 12 stone crosses sailed down Pripyat from Kyiv against the current in the year of the Baptism of Rus' by Prince Vladimir. The second such cross is located in the Church of All Saints in Turov. The third cross is kept in the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in the village of Pogost.

Inside the cathedral, the interior elements, made in white, blue tones and gilding, amaze the imagination. The bright gilded elements of the main altar of the cathedral spill their colors throughout the temple. Small white columns with gilded bases and capitals of the Corinthian order are skillfully executed, installed as frames for many icons. The temple contains two 18th-century icons and nine bells cast in Voronezh, Russia. The largest bell weighs about 1.3 tons.

On May 2, 2021, the President of Belarus donated to the temple a recreated shrine - the altar cross of Turov, which was lost after the earthquake that destroyed the cathedral in the 13th century. A copy of it, made for education and enlightenment, was transferred to the Museum of the National Academy of Sciences.