Returned History

There are only 500 copies of this book in Belarus, and two of them are now in our town.

There are only 500 copies of this book in Belarus, and two of them are now in our town. Facsimile copies of the once-lost sacred manuscript – the "Slutsk Gospel" – were gifted to Lepel during the Orthodox book exhibition-fair "Joy of the Word," held in our town as part of the Days of Orthodox Literature, dedicated to the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'. Anyone can now familiarise themselves with the "Slutsk Gospel." One copy will be kept at the Church of the Nativity of Christ, and the second – at the central district library.

The sacred manuscript was solemnly handed over to the library by the dean of the Lepel district, Archpriest Adam Kaleda, at the opening of a photo exhibition also dedicated to the celebration of the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' in Belarus. The participation of Lepel residents in events such as the Ecumenical Divine Liturgy and the procession in Minsk was captured by Vitaliy Kolosovsky, director of the spiritual and educational centre of the Church of Paraskeva Pyatnitsa. The exhibition could only accommodate a portion of his works; however, his personal archive holds over a hundred photographs commemorating that day.

The "Slutsk Gospel" also took pride of place in the reading room.

The "Slutsk Gospel," lost along with the Cross of St. Euphrosyne of Polotsk, might never have reached posterity if not for one event... The book, personally rewritten in 1582, was gifted by Prince Yuri Olelkovich to the Holy Trinity Monastery, where it remained until 1917. For over a decade, the sacred manuscript was kept at the National Art Museum in Minsk, then it was transported to Mogilev, where it disappeared at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. It was only rediscovered in 1991, when, on an ordinary weekday, a parishioner of a Minsk church asked a priest to perform funeral rites for her husband. In gratitude, she presented a handwritten Gospel that had been in her possession for a long time. The woman was unaware of the significance of this book.

Based on a digitized book edition in 2009, the Belarusian Exarchate, in conjunction with the National Library of Belarus and the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, prepared a facsimile edition of the Gospel. Now it can be read without compromising its preservation. Materials collected in a separate book help to learn the history of the manuscript, its research, and linguistic features. A translation of the Gospel into the Belarusian language has also been made. The print run of the "Slutsk Gospel" is small, however, Vladyka Filaret blessed to present this piece of the shrine to the city wherever the exhibition-fair "Joy of the Word" is held.

Ekaterina OSOVSKAYA.