The Holy Spirit Convent is located in the Old Town of Vitebsk. It is one of the oldest Orthodox monasteries in Belarus. Its full name is the Monastery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit. It is situated at the foot of Assumption Hill, where the Assumption Cathedral stands, at the confluence of the Vitba River and the Western Dvina.
The founding of the monastery is associated with Prince Algirdas, who built the Church of the Holy Spirit here in 1318. According to tradition, the monastery was established in 1380 by the prince`s second wife, Juliana of Tver, who took the monastic vows under the name Martha.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the monastery faced difficult times due to religious conflicts and wars. In 1618, the Holy Spirit Monastery was handed over to the Uniates and became part of the Basilian Order. In 1775, Vitebsk became part of the Russian Empire but remained predominantly Catholic for a long time.
It was returned to the Orthodox Church only in 1839. In the 19th century, the monastery housed nuns` cells, utility buildings, and even a boarding school for girls. However, by the mid-19th century, the monastery fell into decline, and its buildings were later repurposed as a women`s prison and then as a diocesan school.
After the 1917 revolution, the monastery was closed, and its buildings were used for secular purposes. During World War II, the structures suffered significant damage, and in 1947, the Holy Spirit Church was finally demolished.
In 2001, the Synod of the Belarusian Orthodox Church decided to revive the Holy Spirit Monastery. The nuns were given an old residential building, which was gradually renovated and improved. Over 20 years, the monastery has been transformed: cells, a refectory, a baptismal chapel, an icon shop, and two new churches—dedicated to Saint Princess Olga and the Holy Spirit—have been built.
The main church of the monastery, consecrated in 2012, was constructed in the traditions of ancient Russian Orthodox architecture. Its single-dome structure with a gilded cupola harmoniously fits into the architectural ensemble of the monastery and the entire Assumption Hill.
