Boris stones, Sacred boulders in Western Dvina River, Belarus
The Boris stones are a group of large glacial boulders scattered along the Western Dvina River between Polotsk and Drissa, each carved with Christian crosses and short texts. The inscriptions were cut directly into the rock surface, visible on the face of each stone.
The stones were carved in the 12th century on the orders of Prince Rogvolod Vseslavich, who took the baptismal name Boris, giving the group its name. They are among the oldest surviving religious monuments in what is now Belarus.
The stones carry inscriptions in Greek letters proclaiming the victory of Christ, showing how the new faith was made visible in the landscape during the 12th century. Standing before one of them today, visitors can read words carved directly into the glacial rock.
Today only three of the stones can be visited: one stands near St Sophia Cathedral in Polotsk, one is on display at the Museum of Boulders in Minsk, and one is kept at Kolomenskoye in Russia. Since they are spread across different locations, it is worth checking each site before planning your visit.
The largest stone has a circumference of roughly 17 meters (about 56 feet), making it one of the largest carved boulders in the region. Some fragments were only found again in 1988, after being submerged when Soviet-era dams raised the water level of the river.
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