Description of the attraction
The Island of Tears of Courage and Sorrow is a memorial complex dedicated to the internationalist soldiers who performed their military duty in Afghanistan in the period 1979-1989.
The memorial was opened on August 3, 1996. It is located on an island in the bend of the Svisloch River near Trinity Suburb. The only humpback bridge leads to the island, which is highlighted in red at night.
At the entrance to the island near the bridge there is a boulder with an icon of the Mother of God and commemorative inscriptions: “This temple was erected for the sons who died in Afghanistan. So that there is no evil either on our own or on a foreign land. This boulder always has a lot of fresh flowers, images, candles, wreaths.
On the Island of Tears there is a chapel to the Sons of the Fatherland who died outside of it. Its prototype was the Church of Efrosinya of Polotsk - the chapel has the same recognizable and dear to the hearts of Belarusians outlines. The chapel contains many commemorative plaques with the names of the fallen Belarusian soldiers. The dome of the chapel is painted with biblical scenes, and the doors are guarded by the archangels Michael and Gabriel, guarding the gates of Paradise. Here they are waiting on earth for their sons who have not returned.
On the shore of the island, a fragile winged angel is crying, who did not save the Belarusian children in a foreign land. Ancient glacial boulders with the names of Afghan provinces, where Belarusian soldiers-internationalists fought, are picturesquely scattered all over the island. Weeping willows grow on the shores of the Island of Tears - the Belarusian symbol of sorrow and grief.
In the modern Republic of Belarus, it is customary to interpret the meaning of the Island of Tears more broadly - it is a memorial to all Belarusians who died outside their homeland and rested in a foreign land.
Reviews
| All reviews 5 Dasha Chistyak 2018-05-12 9:25:13
Atmospheric place When I was on a sightseeing tour of Minsk from Vetliva, a visit to this island was included in the excursion. A live place is much more atmospheric and interesting than in the photo. One of the most memorable places of the entire excursion
