Conferment of For Spiritual Revival Awards and special prizes

Thanks to a rich and uniquely distinctive heritage, Belarusians have entered world history as a self-sufficient nation, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said during a ceremony to present the Spiritual Revival awards, special prizes for culture and art luminaries and the Belarusian Sports Olympus awards 2025.

The head of state emphasized that this ceremony to present the unique Spiritual Revival awards has long since become part of the national heritage. “As I have already told the youth, traditions are the foundation of our statehood. In them lies our strength and our future, which is impossible without the experience and connection of generations,” the President said. According to his words, statehood is built precisely on this. “And we built sovereign Belarus, a very young state by historical standards, on the basis of centuries-old cultural memory, which is imbued with the high spirituality and intellect of our ancestors,” the Belarusian leader said. “Thanks to such a rich and uniquely distinctive heritage, Belarusians have entered world history as a self-sufficient nation.” 

The President stressed that in the historical heritage of the Belarusian people, there is much to take pride in and much to safeguard and protect.

“We have much to be proud of, to preserve, and to defend,” the head of state emphasized, speaking about the rich historical heritage of the Belarusian people. “That is precisely why we are building the new National Historical Museum. It will become a place of national pride, the cradle of our historical memory, and a source of inspiration for our peaceful, hardworking, highly talented, and creative nation.”

As examples, Aleksandr Lukashenko cited several facts. “Over a thousand years ago, almost immediately after the Baptism of Rus', some of the first East Slavic centers of statehood, culture, and education were founded on our land: the principalities of Polotsk and Turov”, the Belarusian leader noted. “Here, thanks to our architects, exclusive architectural traditions and art were born. In 2026, we will be commemorating a sacred date for us. Exactly 865 years ago, the master Lazar Bogsha created a unique sacred object -the Cross of Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk. Just think - 865 years!"

Over five centuries ago, Francysk Skaryna, a native of the Polotsk lands, published the Psalter, the first book in the East Slavic language.

“It is well known that the printed Cyrillic typeface, developed by the Belarusian Ilya Kapevich, formed the basis for the civil script introduced in Russia in 1706,” the President continued. “The term 'Belarusian Baroque' is recognized worldwide. It is a unique phenomenon in global art from the late 17th century, which spread across East Slavic lands thanks to the talent of our masters.”