First printed Bible of Francis Skaryna to be presented in Minsk

30 августа 2017

Today, almost all the books of Francis Skaryna are stored abroad. This is the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Russia. The first printed Bible in the Church Slavonic language was kept for a long time by Moscow merchant Ivan Tsarsky. Before his death, he sold the entire collection, including the Bible, to Count Uvarov, one of the founders of the Historical Museum of Moscow.

The first printed Bible of Francis Skaryna is one of the most valuable books.

Alexandra Alexandrina, a researcher at the Department of Manuscripts and Old Printed Books of the Historical Museum of Moscow:

"The uniqueness of Francis Skaryna's Bible is that he placed his portrait there. He is the only one who put his portrait in the Holy Scripture."

Skaryna translated the Bible into the Church Slavonic language, but since he was a Belarusian, the book contains many Belarusian words. Each author was given an introductory and an afterword to each copy. But the last sheet of Proverbs of Solomon was lost.

About a year the Bible of Francis Skaryna was on restoration. Today the Bible of Francis Skaryna, carefully packed, is placed in a special fireproof suitcase and sealed.

The first printed Bible of Francis Skaryna in the Church Slavonic language will be delivered to Minsk on September 4. In our country, the book will be exposed for the first time. The unique specimen will be exhibited at the National History Museum of Belarus.