The Svir Bell Turned Out to Be the Zyrovichy 'Constantinus'. Historian Uncovered the Origin of the Belarusian Casting Monument with a Catholic Coat of Arms and a Cyrillic Prayer

The Svir bell with an image of the crucified Jesus surrounded by cherubs, placed near the church walls. Photo: Volha Dreka

He shared this small but important discovery on his Facebook page. Today, this monument of Belarusian artistic casting from the 18th century is preserved on the territory of the Church of St. Nicholas in Svir, Myadzel district. The massive artifact, weighing 900 kilograms, was cast by master Ambrozy Jan Patun in 1701.

A distinctive feature of the bell is the eclecticism of its decoration. The central part is adorned with an image of the icon of Our Lady of Zyrovichy, and along the upper edge runs a Cyrillic inscription in Church Slavonic — a prayer: "More honorable than the Cherubim and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim..." In addition to the Cyrillic text, at the bottom are the Latin signature of the master and the 'Strzemię' (Stirrup) coat of arms. Latin initials around the coat of arms indicate that it belongs to Konstanty Kazimierz Brzostowski, the then Bishop of Vilnius.

Павялічыць

The Svir bell is decorated with relief ornamentation, including an image of the Mother of God with child and scepter, surrounded by a halo and cherubs. Photo: Liseichykau's Facebook

Broken and Recast with the Bishop's Help

An explanation of the artifact's history was found in the documents of the Basilian Order from the 1710s. Dzianis Liseichykau found there a description of the bells of the monastery in Zyrovichy, where the following is stated about the creation of the 'Svir' bell:

"The second [bell], 'Constantinus', made and cast at the expense of the monastery, and by the efforts of the then Zyrovichy prior, the late Father Konstantin Vitapolski, in 1660. <…> This bell was broken and recast on July 14, 1701 <…> the Vilnius bishop Konstanty Brzostowski contributed 50 thalers to it, therefore it was again cast under the name 'Constantinus' and with the coat of arms of the reverend bishop."

Thus, in the name of the bell, two namesake hierarchs are honored at once, Uniate and Catholic.

Павялічыць

Along the upper part of the bell runs a band with a Church Slavonic inscription: "More honorable than the Cherubim and truly more glorious than the Seraphim...", while at the bottom are images of the icon of Our Lady of Zyrovichy and the 'Strzemię' (Stirrup) coat of arms of the Vilnius Catholic bishop Konstanty Brzostowski. Photo: Liseichykau's Facebook

The Fate of the Traveling Bell from Svir

How the Zyrovichy 'Constantinus' left its home monastery over time and ended up far in the north, in Svir, remains a mystery. In the 20th century, its fate turned dramatic. In 1982, when Soviet authorities barbarically converted the Svir church into a factory workshop, the monument suffered serious damage. For some time, it was preserved in the Smarhon Historical and Local Lore Museum, until it was returned to believers in 1990.

Today, due to the damage it sustained, the massive artifact can no longer fulfill its direct function and hang in the bell tower. It now rests on the ground near the church walls.

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