On May 31, Vitebsk /Olga Bogacheva - BELTA/. In the Year of Books, Orsha residents will support the cause of Spiridon Sobol: in June, the Orsha Primer will be published in the city on the Dnieper, BELTA was informed by the Department of Ideological Work of the Orsha City Executive Committee. The book, compiled in Russian by well-known Orsha writers and educators Galina and Sergey Trafimovs, introduces the alphabet. The peculiarity of the publication lies in the examples provided: there are enough memorable places in the city, and significant events and personalities who glorified the Orsha region in its history, to associate them with all the letters. These include the city's castle, the Kuteinsk Monastery, the Orsha Gospel, local enterprises, as well as Korotkevich and Zaslonov, known to every Belarusian, etc. It is symbolic that the preface to the book provides information about the first Belarusian primer, published in 1631 in the Kuteinsk Monastery by the printer Spiridon Sobol. The project is being implemented by the Orsha City Executive Committee as part of the Year of Books events. The print run of the Orsha Primer, which will be released in June, will be 3,000 copies. The illustrations were created by students of the Orsha Children's Art School. The books will be sent to the city's library system, will be sold, and some copies will be solemnly presented to first-graders at the festive assemblies on September 1 of the new academic year. The publication will attract adult readers with its unusual form of presentation. The book will foster respect for history, love for the native land, and pride in one's country among the younger generations, the City Executive Committee is confident. The publication of Spiridon Sobol's "Primer" became an important event in the art of printing and the history of Belarusian national culture. The book made a significant contribution to the spread of education in Belarus, Lithuania, Ukraine, and abroad. Time was ruthless to the primer: only one such book has survived. It is kept in the National Museum of Ukraine (Lviv). Its skillful copy, made by artist Petr Drachev, can be seen in the Orsha Museum of History and Culture.-0-

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