The Cathedral of Saint Sophia in Polotsk, built between 1044 and 1066 by Prince Vseslav, is considered the oldest surviving church in Belarus. Dedicated to Holy Wisdom, it paralleled the great Saint Sophia cathedrals of Kyiv and Novgorod. Vseslav, an izgoi prince known in legend as a sorcerer and werewolf, enriched his cathedral with loot from his 1067 raid on Novgorod. Although heavily rebuilt over the centuries, parts of the original 11th‑century structure and the burial vaults of Polotsk princes, including Vseslav, remain. The cathedral originally had seven domes, later reduced to five after a 1447 fire. From the late 16th to early 19th century, it served as the main church of the Ruthenian Uniate Archeparchy.
Repeated fires and wars led to major reconstructions, including a Baroque rebuilding from 1738 to 1765, attributed variously to architects such as Glaubitz, Longhi, or Osikiewicz. The cathedral suffered further upheavals during the Livonian War, the Napoleonic invasion, and World War II. Its religious affiliation shifted multiple times, passing between Greek Catholic, Orthodox, and secular control. Under Soviet rule, it housed an archive and was briefly slated to become a museum of atheism.
Today, the cathedral is part of the State Museum‑Preserve of Polotsk and functions primarily as a concert hall with an organ, though discussions continue about returning it to the Russian Orthodox Church.
Those who found it without a hint:
- Eloy Cano
- Martin de Bock
- Graham Hedley
- Phil Ower
- Lighthouse
- Garfield
- krenek
- Zorro the Fox
And after the hint:
- Bas van Limpt