# St Nicholas Monastery, Gomel > St Nicholas Monastery is Gomel's only men's monastery: a white church of 1904, paid for by railway workers, about 1.7 km from the train station. Entry is free and 30–40 minutes is enough. Services run daily — liturgy at 7:00 and the evening service at 16:45; on Sundays there are two liturgies, at 6:30 and 8:45. Dress as for any Orthodox church. Web page: https://yesgo.io/belarus/gomel/gomel-st-nicholas-monastery - City: [Gomel](https://yesgo.io/belarus/gomel), Belarus - YesGo score: 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 40 min - Opening hours: Daily: liturgy 7:00 (brethren's prayers from 6:00), evening service 16:45 (vigil at 17:00 before feasts); Sundays liturgy at 6:30 and 8:45 - With kids: Fine with kids - Address: Nikolskaya Street 4 (ulitsa Nikolskaya), Gomel - Entry: Free - Weekdays: 6:00 brethren's prayers; 7:00 liturgy; 16:45 evening service - Sundays: 6:30 early liturgy; 8:45 late liturgy; 16:45 vespers with the akathist to St Nicholas - Eve of feasts: 17:00 all-night vigil with confession - Phone: +375 25 910-52-02 (duty line); +375 232 33-71-83 - Church doors: Open from the morning service until the evening one ends; no exact hours published - Payment: Candles and donations in Belarusian roubles (BYN), cash - Language: Services in Church Slavonic, signs and talks in Russian; no English - Time needed: 30–40 minutes; about 1.5–2 hours for a liturgy - Coordinates: 52.44083, 30.98472 - Facts checked: 30.10.2026 ## Key facts - **1904** — the St Nicholas church, now the monastery's main church, was consecrated (source: monastery website (nikolsky.by); Russian Wikipedia; Znai svoi krai (my-places.by)) - **Railwaymen** — staff of the Polesie Railway raised the money for a stone church from 1900 (source: Znai svoi krai; sobory.ru; Russian Wikipedia) - **Until 1990** — from the war until that year, the only working Orthodox church in the city (source: Znai svoi krai; sobory.ru) - **8 Dec 1994** — the first novices arrived — the monastery's founding day (source: monastery website; Znai svoi krai) - **21 Mar 1995** — formally established by the Synod of the Belarusian Exarchate; first abbot Archimandrite Antony (Kuznetsov) (source: monastery website; Znai svoi krai; sobory.ru) - **1929 / 1930** — closed by the Soviet authorities, then reopened during the Second World War (source: sobory.ru (1929); Znai svoi krai (1930)) - **2007** — a relic of St Nicholas was brought from Italy (source: monastery website; Znai svoi krai) - **Kozelshchansk icon** — a revered copy of this icon of the Virgin, handed over by the last abbess of the Kozelshchansk convent (source: monastery website; Znai svoi krai) - **2 churches** — St Nicholas and the gate church of St Dionysius of Radonezh (source: monastery website; Russian Wikipedia) - **Since 1996** — the Psalter has been read round the clock (source: monastery website; Russian Wikipedia) > **Dress code and etiquette** This is a working monastery, not a museum, so normal Orthodox church rules apply. Women should cover their hair with a scarf and wear a skirt below the knee with shoulders covered. Men take off hats and avoid shorts and vests. Don't take photos or wander about during a service, and ask before photographing inside. ## Is St Nicholas Monastery worth visiting? Worth it if you arrive by train, or if Orthodox churches and icons are your thing — it is 20–25 minutes on foot from Gomel station and takes 30–40 minutes. It is not one of the city's architectural highlights, and it sits outside the historic centre, so with only a few hours in Gomel the palace park and the Peter and Paul Cathedral come first. What makes it interesting is the story. A stone church built with railwaymen's donations, closed under Stalin, reopened during the war and then, for decades, the only Orthodox church in the city that stayed open. Since the 1990s it has been a busy monastery with two churches, a bell tower and a paved courtyard, and on Sunday mornings it is full of local families. ## Opening times and service schedule There is no ticket desk and no fixed opening hours: the church is open around the services, which run **every day**. According to the schedule on the monastery's official website, the brethren pray from **6:00**, the liturgy starts at **7:00** and the evening service at **16:45**. On **Sundays** there are two liturgies, at **6:30** and **8:45**; the late one has the fuller choir. Sunday evening brings the akathist hymn to St Nicholas, and Wednesday evening one to the Virgin. On the eve of major feasts the evening service becomes an all-night vigil at **17:00**. The website posts each week's schedule in advance, in Russian. Times shift around feast days, so check it the day before or call the duty phone, **+375 25 910-52-02**. **Paying:** entry is free. Candles, prayer notes and donations are paid in Belarusian roubles, and cash is the safe choice — don't count on a foreign card here. Card acceptance for foreign visitors in Belarus is patchy; Russian-issued Visa and Mastercard do not work. This is unofficial, so check with your bank before you travel. ## How to get to St Nicholas Monastery 1. The monastery is not in the old centre but beyond the railway station — about 3.3 km by road from Lenin Square, around 45 minutes on foot (our measurement on OpenStreetMap). The easiest plan is to visit on the day you arrive or leave by train. 2. From the centre, get to Gomel railway station first: walk north-west up Sovetskaya Street from Lenin Square (Ploshchad Lenina) for 20–25 minutes, or take any bus or trolleybus along Sovetskaya towards the station, 5–10 minutes. 3. From the station it is about 1.7 km, a 20–25-minute walk, to the monastery gate. Head for Polesskaya Street: the Nikolskaya Tserkov stop is right by the monastery. 4. A taxi is quickest — around 10 minutes from Lenin Square. Unofficially, the Yandex Go app works in Gomel. 5. Pay bus and trolleybus fares in cash (BYN) to the driver or at a kiosk; small notes help. ## What to see - **The St Nicholas church of 1904** — white walls, gilded onion domes; locals still call it Nikolskaya Tserkov, and so does the bus stop. - **The Kozelshchansk icon of the Virgin** — a revered copy that hangs above the central doors of the icon screen and is lowered for people to venerate during services. - **A relic of St Nicholas**, brought from Italy in 2007, plus a reliquary with relics of other saints. - **The icon screen**, replaced in 2020, and an icon of St John of Korma with a relic. - **The gate church of St Dionysius of Radonezh** and the restored bell tower, both visible from the street. - **The paved courtyard** with the brethren's building — the whole site takes about 10 minutes to walk round. ## A short history In 1900 staff of the Polesie Railway set up a fund to build a stone church dedicated to St Nicholas, patron saint of travellers. It was consecrated in **1904**. Russian Wikipedia and the Azbuka pilgrim guide say it was built with the blessing of St John of Kronstadt, and Princess Irina Paskevich, owner of Gomel Palace, was involved too. The Soviet authorities closed it in 1929 or 1930 — sources differ — and, unofficially, the building became a forge and then training workshops. It reopened during the Second World War and, until 1990, was the only working Orthodox church in Gomel. The monastery itself is young. The first novices arrived on **8 December 1994**, and the Synod of the Belarusian Exarchate formally established it on 21 March 1995. A stone building with cells and a refectory followed in 2000, and in the early 2000s came the gate church, the enlarged St Nicholas church and the restored bell tower. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Checked this week's service times on the monastery website - [ ] Headscarf and skirt for women; no shorts or hats for men - [ ] Cash in BYN for candles and transport - [ ] Picked a time: midday on a weekday is quiet, Sunday morning is busy - [ ] Fitted the visit around your train — the station is 20–25 minutes away ## St Nicholas Monastery or the Peter and Paul Cathedral? | | St Nicholas Monastery | Peter and Paul Cathedral | | --- | --- | --- | | Where | Beyond the station, Nikolskaya St 4 | In the palace park above the Sozh | | What it is | The city's only men's monastery, church of 1904 | Gomel's main cathedral, early-19th-century neoclassical | | Entry | Free | Free | | Time needed | 30–40 min | 20–30 min | | Best for | Icons, relics and services | Anyone walking the palace park | Short on time? See the cathedral, which is right by the palace. Save the monastery for a train day or for a service. ## Gomel's churches compared Every church and holy site in Gomel rated by YesGo. - [Peter and Paul Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/belarus/gomel/gomel-peter-and-paul-cathedral) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [St Elijah Old Believer Church](https://yesgo.io/belarus/gomel/gomel-st-elijah-church) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 25 min · Free - [St Nicholas Monastery](https://yesgo.io/belarus/gomel/gomel-st-nicholas-monastery) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free - [Paskevich Burial Chapel](https://yesgo.io/belarus/gomel/gomel-paskevich-chapel) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · 5 BYN, outside free ## Station to palace: Gomel in a day The monastery by the station, the main street, the theatre on the square, then the palace and the cathedral above the Sozh. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and walks. 1. [St Nicholas Monastery](https://yesgo.io/belarus/gomel/gomel-st-nicholas-monastery) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free 2. [Sovetskaya Street](https://yesgo.io/belarus/gomel/gomel-sovetskaya-street) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free, open 24/7 3. [Gomel Regional Drama Theatre](https://yesgo.io/belarus/gomel/gomel-drama-theatre) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Facade free; plays from 11 BYN 4. [Rumyantsev-Paskevich Palace](https://yesgo.io/belarus/gomel/gomel-palace) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Park free, palace 15 BYN 5. [Peter and Paul Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/belarus/gomel/gomel-peter-and-paul-cathedral) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free ## Good to know There are many St Nicholas monasteries, including a well-known one in Mogilev, also in Belarus. Gomel's is the men's monastery at Nikolskaya Street 4; older listings give Demyana Bednogo Street 4 for the same place. In Belarusian the city is Homiel, so you may see “Homiel” on maps and signs. ## Tips - Arriving by train? Give it an hour straight from the station, then head into town for the [palace park](https://yesgo.io/belarus/gomel/gomel-palace). - For the choir, come to the late Sunday liturgy at 8:45. - To venerate the Kozelshchansk icon, come during a service — that is when it is lowered. - Light a candle quietly at the side rather than in front of people praying. - Feast days change the schedule — check the website the day before. ## Questions ### Where is St Nicholas Monastery in Gomel? At Nikolskaya Street 4, about 1.7 km north-west of Gomel railway station. The nearest stop is Nikolskaya Tserkov on Polesskaya Street. ### Is there an entrance fee? No. Entry to the monastery and its churches is free. Candles and donations are optional — bring a little cash in BYN. ### What are the opening hours? There are no fixed hours. The church is open around the daily services: liturgy at 7:00 and the evening service at 16:45, with Sunday liturgies at 6:30 and 8:45. ### How do I get there from Gomel railway station? Walk about 1.7 km, 20–25 minutes, towards Polesskaya Street. From Lenin Square, go to the station first, or take a taxi — about 10 minutes. ### Is there a dress code? Yes, as in any Orthodox church: women cover their hair and wear a skirt below the knee with covered shoulders; men remove hats and avoid shorts. ### Can I take photos? Not during services. Outside, the courtyard and domes are fine to photograph; inside, ask first and be discreet. ### Are services in English? No. Services are in Church Slavonic, and the website and any talks are in Russian. You can still attend quietly as a visitor. ### Is it worth visiting? Yes, if you come by train or care about icons and services — it takes 30–40 minutes near the station. With little time, see the Peter and Paul Cathedral in the centre instead. ### How old is the monastery? The church dates from 1904; the monastery was founded in December 1994 and formally established in March 1995. ## How we checked Service times (from the schedule for 24 October – 1 November 2026), the address, phone numbers, relics and founding dates come from the monastery's official website on 30.10.2026. The church's early history was checked against Znai svoi krai, sobory.ru, Russian Wikipedia and the Azbuka pilgrim guide. Conflicts: the closure year is 1929 in sobory.ru and 1930 in Znai svoi krai, so we show both; the monastery's own website dates the gate church to 2002 on one page and 2004 on another, so we say the early 2000s; sobory.ru gives 1905 as the build year, while all sources put the consecration in 1904. The forge comes from sobory.ru alone and is marked unofficial. Distances and walking times are our own measurement on OpenStreetMap; bus numbers to the stop were not verified and are left out. Opening hours outside services, the taxi app and card payments are marked as being checked. Dress rules are the usual ones for Orthodox churches; the monastery publishes no separate rules. The number of monks changes and is not given. ## Sources - St Nicholas Monastery, official website (nikolsky.by): home, History, Schedule, Contacts, Brethren, Today, 30.10.2026 - Russian Wikipedia: Nikolsky Monastery (Gomel); Wikidata Q3920724 - Znai svoi krai (my-places.by): Gomel, St Nicholas Monastery - Orthodox architecture catalogue (sobory.ru): Gomel, Church of St Nicholas - Azbuka pilgrim guide (azbyka.ru): Gomel - OpenStreetMap: Nikolskaya Tserkov stop, walking routes from the station and Lenin Square --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.