Travel Guide Žyrovičy (Жыровi̇чы)

10 km south of Slonim, the small village of Žyrovičy is situated on the banks of the river Chtchara in an exceptional natural setting. His name would come from the žirovat ("dildo") verb. The green in the area being abundant, it allowed cattle to relax. The famous Žyrovičy monastery represents the spiritual centre of Belarusian orthodoxy. In the th century, on the site of the monastery, Alexander Soltan, treasurer of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, built his residence. In 1470, there is a miraculous icon of the Virgin. Soltan then built a wooden church to shelter the icon, but in 1520 the church burned completely. After the fire, no one could find the icon. Nevertheless, in 1521, the Virgin appeared to children with the icon in his hands. In 1609, the monastery passes to the Uniates who kept it until the abolition of the Brest Union in 1839. The monastery never closed its doors. In the Soviet era, monks were sent from all corners of Belarus to isolate them from the rest of society. Every year, on 20 May, we celebrate the feast of the miraculous icon of the Virgin. This place is one of Belarus'greatest religious treasures, not to be missed.