Day 2. Ragvalod's Followers
Dear friends, do you know about Ragvalod? He is the first known from chronicles Polatsk prince. His demesne was exactly here, at the Palata banks. This place remembers about Ragvalod and his daughter Ragneda. By the end of Xth cent. there were two more influential centers in Eastern Europe besides Polatsk. These centers were Kyiv and Novgorod. Kyiv was reigned by Yarapolk, and Novgorod - by Vladimir. Both of them wanted to marry with Ragneda. She accepted Yarapolk. After that when the whole town was preparing the wedding, Vladimir attacked Polatsk. Polatsk was ruined, Ragvalod with his wife and two sons were killed. Vladimir violently made Ragneda his wife. The young Polatsk princess craved for the revenge. And some night Vladimir was awaken seeing Ragneda with the dagger in her hand raised above him. He wouldn't forgive that to Ragneda but their son Iziaslau stood between them. Vladimir sends both of them to the far lands - nowadays town Zaslawie near Minsk. What could then Ragneda wish for ? She wished the Ragvalod's dynasty to be continued and Polatsk to be revived. And finally her dreams came true. Vladzimir gave ruined Polatsk to Iziaslau. So Polatsk was reigned by the Ragvalod's grandsons and grand-grandsons during two centuries.
At XIth cent. the center of Polatsk moved to the higher bank where the Palata flows into the Western Dzvina river. We should move by nearly 800 meters along the Palata's flow to get to that place which is called Verhni Zamak. Let's go there. You will see the place, which was the cradle of Belarusian statehood, spirituality and culture up to the XVIIth cent. You will see the beautiful scene out there. Exactlty at that place the Iziaslau's grandson had built the first stone temple on Belarusian territory, which is now called "the Polatsk visit card" - St. Sophia's Cathedral.