The interview of the soloist of the NUTEKI group Mikhail Nokarashvili was published by the project "Year 500", dedicated to the anniversary of the first Belarusian printed book - Skaryna's Bible.
For the third year now, the author's cycle of TV journalist Oleg Lukashevich "Epokha" has been broadcast on Belarusian television. This documentary project for the first time in history tells viewers about previously unknown pages of biography prominent personalities who glorified Belarus.
The premiere of the first film "Epoch" - about Marc Chagall - took place back in 2006. Then there were tapes about Euphrosyne of Polotsk, Adam Mickiewicz, Tadeusz Kosciuszko, Stanislav August Poniatowski, Luis Mayer... Recently, another series was shown: a new tape was dedicated to the world-famous scientist Ignatius Domeiko.
The Ruska Bible, laid out by Dr. Francis Skorina from the glorious city of Polotsk
The book was published in Prague in 1517-1519 and became the first printed edition in the West Russian version of the Church Slavonic language and in the East Slavic world.
In Russia, Ivan Fedorov (and he, by the way, had Belarusian roots) is still revered as a pioneer printer. But Francis Skorina "from the glorious city of Polotsk" published his "Russian Bible" fifty years before Ivan Fedorov. And in it he clearly indicated that this book was "written for all Russian people." Francysk Skaryna is a Belarusian and East Slavonic first printer, translator, publisher and artist. The son of a people living on the European border, he brilliantly combined in his work the traditions of the Byzantine East and the Latin West. Thanks to Skaryna, Belarusians received a printed Bible in their native language before Russians and Ukrainians, Poles and Lithuanians, Serbs and Bulgarians, French and British...
In 1517-1519 in Prague, Francysk Skaryna printed Cyrillic script in the Belarusian version of the Church Slavonic language "Psalter" and 23 other books of the Bible translated by him. In 1522, in Vilna (now Vilnius), Skaryna published the Small Travel Book. This book is considered the first book printed on the territory that was part of the USSR. In the same place in Vilna in 1525, Francysk Skaryna printed "The Apostle". Fedorov's assistant and colleague, Pyotr Mstislavets, studied with Skaryna.
Francysk Skaryna - Belarusian humanist of the first half of the 16th century, medical scientist, writer, translator, artist, educator, first printer Eastern Slavs.
Far from all the details of Skaryna's biography have survived to this day, there are still many "white spots" in the life of the work of the great enlightener. Even the exact dates of his birth and death are unknown. It is believed that he was born between 1485 and 1490 in Polotsk, in the family of a wealthy Polotsk merchant Luka Skorina, who traded with the Czech Republic, with Moscow Russia, with Polish and German lands. From his parents, the son adopted love for his native Polotsk, whose name he later always used with the epithet “glorious”. First elementary education Francis received in the house of his parents - he learned to read the Psalms and write in Cyrillic. It is assumed that he learned Latin (Francis knew it brilliantly) at school at one of the Catholic churches in Polotsk or Vilna.
My first higher education Skaryna, the son of a Polotsk merchant, received in Krakow. There he took a course in "free sciences" and was awarded degree bachelor. Skaryna also received a master's degree in arts, which then gave the right to enter the most prestigious faculties (medical and theological) of European universities. Scientists suggest that after the University of Krakow, during the years 1506-1512, Skaryna served as a secretary to the Danish king. But in 1512, he left this position and went to the Italian city of Padua, at the university of which “a young man from very distant countries” (as the documents of that time say about him) received the degree of “Doctor of Medicine”, which was a significant event not only in the life of young Francis, but also in the history of the culture of Belarus. Until now, in one of the halls of this educational institution, where there are portraits of famous men of European science who came out of its walls, there is a portrait of an outstanding Belarusian by an Italian master.
About the period 1512-1516 centuries. F. Skaryna's life is unknown to us yet. Modern scientists have suggested that at that time Skorina traveled around Europe, got acquainted with printing and the first printed books, and also met with his brilliant contemporaries - Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael. The reason for this is the following fact - one of Raphael's frescoes depicts a man who is very similar to Skaryna's self-portrait in the Bible he later published. Interestingly, Raphael wrote it next to his own image.
From 1517 Skaryna lived in Prague. Here he began his publishing business and began printing Bible books.
The first printed book was the Slavic "Psalter", in the preface to which it is reported: "I, Francis Skorina, the son of the glorious Polotsk, a doctor in medicinal sciences, ordered the Psalter to be embossed in Russian words, and in Slovenian." At that time, the Belarusian language was called “Russian language”, in contrast to Church Slavonic, called “Slovenian”. The Psalter was published on August 6, 1517.
Then, almost every month, more and more new volumes of the Bible were published: the Book of Job, the Parables of Solomon, Ecclesiastes ... In two years in Prague, Francysk Skaryna published 23 illustrated Bible books, translated by him into a language understandable to the general reader. The publisher supplied each of the books with a preface and an afterword, and included almost fifty illustrations in the Bible.
Around 1520 or a little later, the first printer returned to his homeland and founded the first East Slavic printing house in Vilna. Here the “Small Road Book” was published, which is considered the first book published in the Belarusian lands (there is no exact release date for the book). Here, in 1525, "The Apostle" was printed, which turned out to be the last book of the first printer - during the fire in Vilna, the printing house of Francis died. It was with this book that 40 years later Ivan Fedorov and Pyotr Mstislavets, both natives of Belarus, began Russian book printing in Moscow.
The last fifteen years of Francysk Skaryna's life are full of hardships and hardships: for some time he serves with the Prussian Duke Albrecht the Elder in Koenigsberg, then returns to Vilna, where his family lives. For the debts of her deceased brother, Skaryna is imprisoned in Poznań. The Polish king Sigismund I releases him from trial with a special letter.
In 1534, Francysk Skaryna made a trip to Muscovy, from where he was expelled as a Catholic, and his books were burned (see the letter of 1552 from the King of the Commonwealth Zhygimont II August to Albert Krichka, his ambassador in Rome under Pope Julius III).
Around 1535, Francysk Skaryna moved to Prague, where he became the personal doctor and horticulturist of King Ferdinand I of Habsburg, who would later become Holy Roman Emperor. 1540 is considered the year of the death of the great enlightener.
Before the well-known Ostroh Bible appeared in Ukraine, Skaryna's editions were the only printed translations of the Holy Scriptures made in the territories of the Eastern and Southern Slavs. These translations became the subject of inheritance and alterations - all East Slavic publishing activity in the field of biblical texts was somehow oriented towards Skaryna. This is not surprising - in many respects his Bible was ahead of similar publications in other countries: before the German Martin Luther, not to mention Polish and Russian publishers. It is noteworthy that the Bible was published in the Old Belarusian language, which largely determined the development of the Belarusian press. The famous "Statutes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania" were printed in the language of Belarus.
A noticeable increase in attention to the heritage of antiquity is also associated with the name of Skaryna. He was perhaps the first in our area to attempt to synthesize antiquity and Christianity, and also proposed educational program, developed in Ancient Greece- the system of "Seven Free Sciences". Later, it was adopted by the fraternal schools of Ukraine and Belarus, developed and improved by the professors of the Kiev-Mohyla Academy and contributed a lot to rapprochement national culture with Western culture.
Fonts and engraved headpieces from the Vilna printing house Skaryna were used by book publishers for another hundred years.
What did Francysk Skaryna really do in Prague? last years life is unknown. Most likely, he practiced as a doctor.
The exact date of his death has not been established, most scholars suggest that Skaryna died around 1551, since in 1552 his son Simeon came to Prague for an inheritance.
Only four hundred copies of Skaryna's books have survived to this day. All editions are very rare, especially the ones from Vilna. Rarities are stored in libraries and book depositories in Minsk, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kyiv, Vilnius, Lvov, London, Prague, Copenhagen, Krakow.
The language in which Francysk Skaryna printed his books was based on the Church Slavonic language, but with a large number of Belarusian words, and therefore was most understandable to the inhabitants of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. For a long time, there was a heated scientific dispute among Belarusian linguists about which language, out of two options, Skaryn translated books into: into the Belarusian edition (extraction) of the Church Slavonic language or, according to another version, into the church style of the old Belarusian language. Currently, Belarusian linguists agree that the language of translations of the Bible by Francysk Skaryna is the Belarusian edition (excerpt) of the Church Slavonic language. At the same time, the influence of the Czech and Polish languages was noticed in the works of Skaryna.
Skaryna's Bible violated the rules that existed when rewriting church books: it contained texts from the publisher and even engravings with his image. This is the only such case in the history of Bible publishing in Eastern Europe. Because of the ban on self-translation of the Bible, Catholic and Orthodox Church did not recognize Skaryna's books.
Francysk Skaryna has long been revered in Belarus. The life and work of F. Skorina is studied by a complex scientific discipline- shorthand. His biography is studied in schools. Streets in Minsk, Polotsk, Vitebsk, Nesvizh, Orsha, Slutsk and many other cities of Belarus are named after him. The name of F. Skaryna is Gomel State University. Monuments to the outstanding scientist were erected in Polotsk, Minsk, Lida, Vilnius. The last of the monuments was recently installed in the capital of Belarus, next to the entrance to the new National Library.
All schools in Polotsk introduced a special subject - Polotsk studies, in which F. Skorina occupies a worthy place. Events dedicated to the memory of the pioneer printer are held in the city according to a separately drawn up plan.
Special awards have been introduced in Belarus - the Skaryna medal (1989) and the Order of Skaryna (1995).
Francysk Lukich Skaryna is an East Slavic pioneer printer, writer, humanist philosopher, medical scientist, public figure and entrepreneur. He is known for translating the books of the Bible from Church Slavonic into Belarusian. The first printer was born around 1490 in the city of Polotsk, which at that time was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In Belarus, he is considered one of the most significant figures in the history of the state. named after him educational establishments, organizations, as well as honorary awards of the state: a medal and an order. The contribution to the culture of Belarus is immortalized with monuments, one of them is installed on the square near the National Library in Minsk.
Life and biography of Francysk Skaryna
Francysk Skaryna (approx. in Belarusian) was born at the end of the 15th century in the family of a merchant named Luka and his wife Margarita. Researchers have not come to a common conclusion regarding the date of his birth, so you can find different information about this. In addition, some scholars argue that Francis had a middle name - George. They came to this conclusion by studying the surviving documents of the Grand Duke Sigismund I in Latin. Also controversial are other Interesting Facts from the life of a printer.
The scientist received his primary education in hometown. He learned Latin at the school of the Bernardine monks. Historians suggest that in 1504 Francis entered the Krakow Academy, which this moment is the Jagiellonian University. He graduated from the Faculty of Liberal Arts with a bachelor's degree. Years later, the famous pioneer printer was awarded the title of licentiate of medicine and a doctorate in free arts. For the next five years, the writer studied at the Faculty of Medicine, after which he passed the exams at the University of Padua in Italy, despite the fact that he did not study here. This is also evidenced by relevant documents. In 1512, the scientist was awarded the degree of Doctor of Medicine, as he passed all the exams without difficulty.
In 1517 Skaryna founded a printing house in Prague. In it, he published the "Psalter" in Cyrillic, which became the first printed book in the Belarusian language. In total, he translated and published 23 religious books over the next two years. In 1520, the scientist moved to Vilna, which at that time was the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Here he founded a printing house, which became the first in the country. In the next few years, the writer published the "Small travel book" and "Apostle".
Francis marries Margarita, who was the widow of Yuri Odvernik, the sponsor of his printing house. She died four years later, leaving behind a small child. This year, the elder brother of the figure also passed away. His creditors began to present property claims to the scientist. In 1532, he was arrested for the debts of his late brother, after the creditors appealed to Sigismund I, but in the same year the Poznań court ruled in favor of the defendant.
In 1535, the scientist lived in Prague, where, according to historians, he worked as a doctor or gardener, as evidenced by the documents of the royal court. It was not possible to establish the exact date of death, but presumably Francysk Skaryna died around 1551.
Book heritage of Francysk Skaryna: the first Bible
The first printer published his books in a language that was created on the basis of Church Slavonic, but has many Belarusian words. It was understandable to the compatriots of the writer. For years, linguists have debated what language the books were translated into. To date, they claim that the language of translations is the Belarusian edition of the Church Slavonic language.
The key feature of the books of the first printer is that they conformed to the rules for writing church books, which were rarely observed in full. They kept the texts from the publisher of the picture books. the presented case was the only one in the history of the publication of Bibles in the territory of Eastern Europe. It is also worth noting that the fonts and engraved headpieces that were introduced in the scientist's printing houses were used by book publishers over the next hundred years.
You can learn even more interesting things about the culture, history and life of Belarus as an independent state, and just have a good rest by renting on our travel portal.
The Volat of the Belarusian and the whole European Renaissance was like this merchant and the old-timer Polatsk. Adtul in 1504, he recovered for science ў Krakow University, Faculty of Philosophy, as he died at the bachelor's degree. Pazney Skaryna became the doctors of "free sciences" (philasophia), and in 1512 he was announced to the University of Padua - the most authentic in the European Europe. Glittering vytrymaўshy there exams, he was the first of the syarod skhodnі slavs atrymaў uchonny degree of the doctor of medicine (like, napeўna, learning earlier from Copenhagen). In the early hours of revealing our signs of a suaychynnik, you can celebrate at Padua in the universitetsky memorial hall in the partreta of the Sarak of outstanding children of science and skill that came out of the scene of this alma mater.
F. Skaryna. Fragment of Lazar Ran's carcinoma
Instead of spakoinaga zhyttsya on the pasadze, the doctor dvary yakoga-nebudz prince t tycoon Skaryn as a son of the era of the Renaissance abraў іnshy shlyakh. Yon vyrashyў give to the people “lekі spiritunya” - the bible bіbіlі on a sensible move. The first of these books, the Psalter, was published on the 6th of June 1517 near Czech Praza. Pradmove and yae humanist writes: “ I, Francishak Skarynin, the son of Polatsk, am a doctor in the medical sciences, sang the Psalter of cisnuts ... in front of me, and to the praise of God from that language into the light of the desert". To such people, Belarusians, the first among the descendant Slavs and all the descendant-European peoples, read a book written in their native language. Glory to the Palachans, they pack 23 old-Belarusian and old-Belarusian Bible books for the Nashchads and take away the Vyalikae Principalities and Belarusan-Litsvinov among the sam’yu avant-garde European peoples. The drafted Belarusian Bible of Franciska Skaryna is a half-turned one, issued on the living language of the people (shepherding the German, Italian and Czech translations).
Prague. Engraving by G. Brown and F. Gotenberg. 1598 Skarynavaya Book of books came out earlier for Lutherava. Yana was the first teacher of the Bible of the descendants of the Slavic peoples, and the amal on the pastagodlza apyaredzila Polish. Skaryna gave out her peraklad earlier, which appeared French and angelic. Yagony "Psalter" lulled the light for 47 bastards and "Apostle", from which the Russian book was buried. The Bible itself was issued to the par-Eastern first in 1876.
Vyarnuўshysya radzimu, Skaryna near 1520 with the help of possible Vilensk months of Yakub Babich, Bagdan Ankovich (Onkava) and Yury Advernik, yakіya, vіdats, patronized yago and earlier, zasnavaў drukarnya ўdziarіzhava ours.
In 1522 and 1525 there they published "A Small Padar Book" and "Apostal". The Vilna doctor Francishka Skaryna was the first in Successful Europe.
Yon uvayshou in history is not only like a Belarusian and skhodneslavyansky pershadrukar, but also like a philosopher, who looked at the world like Christian, antique and humanist ideas. Like a writer-prazaik and paet, that I will serve not the elite, but the Neikam, but the whole people. Like a translator from a few old and new movs, like an editor and a publisher, who give the best harmony of the word and the other hand skill. (At the thought of specialists, with a pile of jumping and daskanalas, Skarynava’s books are as early as the earliest tsarist-Slavonic issued, so the glorious tower of the Venetians is glorious at that hour.)
Pyaru Skaryny’s legacy is ingeniously simple and the most prachuly ў our historiary patriyatychny hymn-praise of love and Father’s Day: “ Panezhe hell is a wild beast, walking in the desert, knowing pile pits, birds flying in the air, knowing pile nests, fish floating in the sea and rivers, smelling piles of faith, bees and tym baronies, piles of piles, people - the same, іgdzіlіlіsya and ўfed suts na Bose, to tam place sluggish caress іmayuts».
Vuchonyya dagetul can’t say it, if he had faith. The humanist perekanannі аsvetnіka put yago pa-above kanfesіyami, that called out the unsatisfactoriness of the zasyatyh prihіlnіkaў i pravoslаўya, i katalіtstva.
The son of the people who live in the geographic center of Europe, Skaryna gleamed while sleeping with the creators of the Byzantine tradition of Departure and the Latin Zahad. You can add books and books of high quality engravings, on which you can learn tag-a-hour life - living, adzen, technique of life, vayskoy right. Swept away advancing the hell of the tsar's canons, it zmyastsiў at the Bible's loud revelation - the first and historical esoteric skill of the partret of the book publisher.
Zhytstsi pershadrukar had an adventurous, vivacious and adventurous epoch between hell Syarednyavechcha and Novaga hour.
Museum named after F. Skaryna in London At the thought of some historians, for some time he worked as a Sakratar of the Danish Karal Hans. Skaryna sustrakaўsya z referatar Luthers and medics and alchemists Paracelsus. Braў udzel at the folding agulnadzyarzhaўnaga to the collection of the law - the first step of the Statute of the Vyalіkag of the Principality of Lithuania in 1529. He was the sakratar and the court physicians at the Bishop Jan of Vilnius. Master of the Teutonic Order Albrecht of Brandenburg asks for the service of himself, as if he were giving a pit to the nobility.
Kali for the brotherhood of this day, the creditors threw Skaryna ў vyaznitsa; As a sign of the recognition of the asable merits of Aichyn, the manarch gave out the admyslov’s honors to the chief executioner.
Knowing that Maskoushchyna did not have his own friends, Franciszek Skaryna broke a batch of his own books from the capital and established the issuing right. Ale and Svetsky, and spiritual rulers pastavіlіsya and getaga Varozh. Muscovite Prince Vasil III guessed the collections from the Scary Books of Vognishcha. Their public gallery has become a hell of a great retail outlet in the cultural regions of Vyalikag, the Principality of Lithuania and Maskovia.
Zyamny path of an outstanding humanist ended in Praza, and here and there some European glory passed. In the old part of the Czech capital, in Hradchany, the memory of our suaichynnik is remembered.
Skarynavya issued a wide Chytak auditorium not only to Natai Dzyarzhava. They were in charge of Poland, Czech Republic, Nyamechchyne. The title of the first hand of the Slavutaga of the executioner is important in the libraries of Russia and Ukraine, and the dachshund in the book collections of Krakava, Warsaw, London, Cambridge, Capenhagen, Ljubljana, Prague. Previously unfamiliar collaborators Skarynavay Biblii znoydzeny nyadaўn ў Nyamechchyna.
© “U. Arlow “Kraina Belarus. Vyalіkae Principality of Lithuania”, 2012
Francysk Skaryna is an outstanding figure of the Belarusian culture of the 16th century, the founder of the Belarusian and East Slavic book printing, whose versatile activities were of general Slavic significance. Scientist, writer, translator and artist, Doctor of Philosophy and Medicine, humanist and educator Francysk Skaryna had a significant impact on the development of many areas of Belarusian culture.
His book publishing activity met the requirements of the time and broad strata Belarusian population and, at the same time, expressed the deep organic unity of the entire East Slavic culture, which was an integral part of the spiritual treasury of all European peoples.
Francysk Skaryna was born in Polotsk.
The exact date of his birth is unknown. It is believed that he was born around 1490. However, according to the representative of the Institute of Philosophy and Law of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Vl.
Vl. Agnevich, the date of birth of F. Skaryna is April 23, 1476. This date of his birth has not been confirmed in other scientific sources. On the contrary, most of the writers point out that F. Skorina was indeed born in 1490. This assumption is based on the existence in those days of the custom to send boys to study at universities, as a rule, at the age of 14-15 years.
But the leadership of the universities did not particularly pay attention to the age of the student; the year of birth was not recorded, because it obviously did not have significant significance. It is possible that F. Skorina was an overgrown student.
Perhaps this is the origin of the exceptional seriousness with which he treated his studies, and later on cultural and scientific activities.
It is assumed that the initial formation of F.
Skaryna received it at his parents' house, where he learned to read from the Psalms and write in Cyrillic letters. From his parents, he adopted love and respect for his native Polotsk, the name, which he later always reinforced with the epithet "glorious", used to be proud of the people "commonwealth", the people of the "Russian language", and then came to the idea of giving his fellow tribesmen the light of knowledge, introducing them to cultural life Europe. To do science, F.
Skaryna needed to master Latin, the then language of science. Therefore, there is reason to believe that he had to go to school for a certain time at one of the Catholic churches in Polotsk or Vilna.
In 1504 an inquisitive and enterprising Polotsk citizen goes to Krakow, enters the university, where he studies the so-called free sciences, and after 2 years (in 1506) receives the first bachelor's degree.
In order to continue her studies, F. Skorina also needed to receive a master's degree in arts. He could have done this in Krakow or in some other university (exact information has not been found). The degree of a master of free arts gave F. Skaryna the right to enter the most prestigious faculties of European universities, which were considered medical and theological.
This education already allowed him to get a position that provided him with a quiet life.
It is believed that around 1508 F. Skorina temporarily served as a secretary to the Danish king. In 1512 he was already in the Italian city of Padua, whose university was famous not only for its medical faculty, but also as a school of humanist scientists.
At a meeting of the medical board of the university in the church of St. Urban, a decision was made to admit the poor, but capable and educated Rusyn Francysk Skaryna to the exam for the degree of doctor of medical sciences. F. Skorina defended his scientific theses for two days in disputes with prominent scientists and on 11/9/1512 was unanimously recognized as worthy high rank medical scientist. Records of the examination protocol have been preserved, which, in particular, say: "He showed himself so commendably and excellently during the rigorous test, setting out the answers to the questions put to him and rejecting the evidence put forward against him, that he received the unanimous approval of all the scientists present without exception and was recognized with sufficient knowledge in the field of medicine.
Later, he will always refer to himself: "in the sciences and medicine, a teacher", "in the medicinal sciences, Doctor", "scientist" or "chosen husband". This was a significant event in his life and in the history of the culture of Belarus - the merchant's son from Polotsk confirmed that abilities and vocation are more valuable than aristocratic origin.
Although he is poor, he is capable, persistent and efficient, he is the one who, with his work, his will, overcame difficulties and rose to the heights of medieval education.
After the scientific triumph, information about F. Skaryna is again lost for as much as 5 years.
Somewhere between 1512 and 1517, F. Skaryna appears in Prague, where, since the time of the Hussite movement, there has been a tradition of using biblical books in shaping public consciousness, establishing a more just society and educating people in a patriotic spirit.
It is hypothesized that F. Skaryna, even after completing his studies at the University of Krakow, could live and continue his studies in Prague. Indeed, in order to translate and publish the Bible, he needed to get acquainted not only with Czech biblical studies, but also thoroughly study the Czech language. Therefore, only those who knew its scientific and publishing environment could choose Prague as a place for organizing book printing.
In Prague, F. Skorina orders printing equipment, starts translating and commenting on the books of the Bible. An educated and businesslike Polotsk resident laid the foundation for Belarusian and East Slavic book printing.
On August 6, 1517, the Psalter is published, then almost every month new book Bible. In two years he published 23 illustrated books. In the early days of printing (Gutenberg only invented typesetting in the middle of the 15th century), such a pace was impossible without prior preparation.
Probably, Skaryna already had a manuscript of all the books of the Bible in his translation into native language, which he did for several years after studying in Italy.
The Bible published by F. Skorina in its translation into the Old Belarusian language is a unique phenomenon. The prefaces and afterwords written by him captured a developed sense of authorial self-awareness, patriotism, unusual for that era, supplemented by unusual for ancient world, but characteristic of a Christian sense of historicism, awareness of the uniqueness of each event in life.
The design of Skaryna's books is also admirable.
The publisher included almost fifty illustrations in the first Belarusian Bible. Numerous splash screens, other decorative elements in harmony with page layout, font and title pages.
His Prague editions contain many ornamental decorations and about a thousand graphic initials. Later, in publications produced in his homeland, he used more than a thousand of these initials.
The uniqueness of the first Belarusian Bible also lies in the fact that the publisher and commentator placed his portrait, complex in composition and symbolic meaning, in the books.
Skaryna, Francis
According to some researchers, the guess about the heliocentric system is encrypted in symbolic engravings ... If you think about it, this is not very surprising. Francysk Skaryna has a lot in common with Nicolaus Copernicus. At about the same time, they studied not only in Poland, but also in Italy.
Both studied medicine. Perhaps they met. But the main thing is different. F. Skorina and N. Copernicus are the founders of the new time, both of them were a product of the same spiritual and historical environment.
F. Skaryna's books are a unique phenomenon of world culture: there is no complete collection of his original editions in any library in the world. Czech editions (23 books) became available to the public after their facsimile reproduction by the Belarusian Encyclopedia publishing house in the early 1990s.
Last year, at the initiative of the German Slavist Hans Rote, a facsimile reprint with theoretical and textual comments of an even rarer edition of F.
Skaryna "Apostle".
Around 1521, Skorina returned to his homeland, founded the first East Slavic printing house in Vilna.
The very next year he publishes the "Small Road Book", where he combined the Psalter, the texts of church services and hymns, as well as astronomical church calendar. In March 1525, he also published "Apostol" (Acts and Epistles of the Apostles) there. With this book, 40 years later, Russian book printing began in Moscow, Ivan Fedorov and Pyotr Mstislavets, both natives of Belarus.
For almost ten years, Skaryna has been combining two positions - a secretary and a doctor - with the Bishop of Vilna - an illegitimate royal son.
At the same time, he does not leave the publishing business, he is engaged in trade with his brother. F. Skorina does not stop traveling. He visits Wittenberg to the founder of German Protestantism, Martin Luther.
Just at this time (1522-1542) the founder of Lutheranism was translating into German and publishing the Protestant Bible. In addition, he was a doctor of theology, and Skaryna was deeply interested in social, legal, philosophical and ethical problems in the context of biblical teaching.
However, there was no rapprochement between them. Moreover, Luther suspected the Belarusian first printer of a Catholic missionary, and also remembered the prophecy that he was threatened with spells, and left the city.
In general, there are many similarities in these destinies.
Martin Luther, having published the Protestant "Bible" in German, actually canonized him. The same can be said about the role of Francysk Skaryna in the formation of the Belarusian language. Moreover, the influence of his books on the Russian language is indisputable.
Around the same time when F. Skorina visited M. Luther, he visited Moscow with an educational mission. He probably offered his books and services as a publisher and translator.
However, by order of the Moscow prince, he was expelled from the city, and the books he brought were publicly burned as "heretical", since they were published in a Catholic country. There is no doubt that some of them still survived. But the influence of the Belarusian F. Skorina on the formation of the Russian language to a greater extent occurred later - through the publication of books in Muscovy by I.
Fedorov and P. Mstislavets, who used the works of their compatriot in their work.
Soon, F. Skorina, at the invitation of the last master of the Teutonic Order, the Prussian Duke Albrecht, visits Koenigsberg. However, at that time in Vilna, during a fire that destroyed two-thirds of the city, Skaryna's printing house burned down.
I had, despite the anger of the duke, to return. The dramatic events did not end there. During the fire, his wife died.
A year earlier, the elder brother, heir to his father's business, had died. His creditors, the Polish "bankers", made debt claims to Francis, and he ended up in prison. True, a few weeks later he was released by royal decree, taken under royal guardianship, legally equated with the gentry (noble) class. The monarch gave him a special privilege: “Let no one except us and our heirs have the right to bring him to court and judge, no matter how significant or insignificant the reason for his summons to court ...” (Note: again royal mercy).
Publishing and educational activities did not bring F.
Short of dividends, rather depleted his initial capital. The patron saint, the Bishop of Vilna, also dies. Francis goes to Prague, where he becomes a gardener for King Ferdinand 1 of Habsburg, who would later become Holy Roman Emperor. One might wonder: what is the unusual transformation of a doctor and publisher into a gardener? The explanation is simple: most likely F.
Skaryna was a botanist and gardener. In those times medical education included knowledge in the field of botany. According to some archival data, Skorina in Prague specialized in the cultivation of citrus fruits and herbs for healing.
The correspondence of the Czech king with his secretary has been preserved, from which it turns out that the "Italian gardener Francis" (as F.
Skaryn) did not serve until the end of his days, but only until July 1539. It was then that the king honored him with a farewell audience.
13 years later, Ferdinand issued a letter stating that "Doctor Frantisek Rus Skorina from Polotsk, who once lived, our gardener, was a stranger in this Czech kingdom, descended to eternal rest and left behind his son Simeon Rus and certain property, papers, money and other things belonging to him.
The king ordered all employees of the state to help the son of Skaryna in receiving the inheritance. The archives testify that Simeon also inherited his father's art: he was a practicing doctor and a gardener.
What did "Francis from the glorious place of Polotsk" do before his death, did he return to publishing, history is silent.
All the same Vl.
Social and ethical views of F. Skaryna
The specific social existence of Belarusian townspeople in the system of the feudal system causes the emergence in their minds of new social and moral guidelines and values. In the urban environment, along with wealth, class privileges, more and more importance is being attached to the individual merits of a person, his energy, intelligence, and moral virtues.
In this regard, the prestige of professional skills, education, and knowledge is growing. Some wealthy townspeople are beginning to act as patrons of the arts, showing some concern for domestic education, book printing, and science. It is not surprising, therefore, that it was the urban environment that brought forward one of the most prominent figures of Belarusian culture and social thought of the 16th century.
— Francis Skaryna. The appearance of such a personality in the history of Belarusian culture in philosophical and social thought was possible only in the conditions of a developed city. It is also very symptomatic that Skaryna's publishing activities in Prague and Vilna were carried out with the financial assistance of wealthy Belarusian citizens of Vilna.
During the XIV-XVI centuries. the Belarusian nation is being formed. The formation of the Belarusian nationality was carried out on the basis of the western branch of the ancient Russian nationality, which during the period of the collapse of Kievan Rus retained many of its tribal, economic, household, linguistic and other differences.
Based on a whole range of sources, modern Soviet researchers have come to the conclusion that "the Belarusian nationality, as well as the Russian and Ukrainian nationalities, originates from a single root - the Old Russian nationality, its western part. The Old Russian nationality was a common stage in the history of all three fraternal nationalities , and this is the peculiarity of the ethnogenesis of the Eastern Slavs, in contrast to other nationalities formed directly from the consolidation of primary tribes.
The formation of the Belarusian nationality was carried out mainly as part of a new public education- the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the socio-economic and political development of the Belarusian lands was of decisive importance in this process. The ethnic basis of the genesis of the Belarusians was the descendants of the Dregovichi, Dnieper-Dvina Krivichi and Radimichi. Together with them, a part of the former northerners, Drevlyans and Volhynians became part of the Belarusian nationality. A certain Baltic substrate also participated in the ethnogenesis of Belarusians, but it did not play a significant role.
During the period under review, the culture of the Belarusian people was formed, special features of the national language were formed, which was reflected in writing, including in the works of Skaryna. At the same time, the process of formation of the Belarusian nationality and its culture was carried out in close connection with the economic, socio-political and cultural life Russian, Ukrainian, Lithuanian and Polish peoples.
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was not only a multinational, but also a multi-religious state.
The bulk of the population, Belarusians and Ukrainians, were Orthodox. The Lithuanians, at least until 1386, were pagans. After the Union of Kreva, the catholization of Lithuania begins. Catholicism, which is patronized by the grand ducal power, penetrates into the Belarusian-Ukrainian lands and gradually wins one position after another there, from the very beginning acting as a means of strengthening the power of the feudal lords over Belarusian, Ukrainian and Lithuanian peasants and townspeople, a means of realizing the socio-political claims of the Polish magnates and expansionist plans of the Vatican.
From the middle of the 16th century, in connection with the reform movement, Protestantism in the form of Calvinism, partly Lutheranism and antitrinitarianism was established in Belarus and Ukraine. Its influence on Belarusian, Lithuanian and Ukrainian feudal lords, townspeople, and a small number of peasants is temporarily increasing.
However, at the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries, frightened by the intensified anti-feudal and national-religious movement, the radicalism of the Reformation, the majority of feudal lords broke with Protestantism and converted to Catholicism. It should also be noted here that due to the prevailing historical circumstances, some of the Belarusian and Ukrainian townspeople and peasants also belonged to the Catholic faith.
In addition to the Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism that existed in Belarus, Lithuania and Ukraine at the end of the 16th century. Uniatism is introduced. And finally, Jews and Tatars living within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania professed Judaism and Islam, respectively.
At the turn of the 15th-16th centuries, as evidenced by sources and available literature on this issue, Western Orthodoxy was in a state close to crisis.
The Orthodox clergy (especially its upper strata) directed all their energy to expanding their land holdings and increasing their privileges. It cared little not only about education, culture, but also about religion itself.
Sources of the end of the XV - beginning of the XVI century. testify to the "great rudeness and non-balance" of Orthodox priests.
Skaryna began his activity at a time when the contradictions between Orthodoxy and Catholicism and those behind these two religions social forces have not yet escalated sufficiently.
Meanwhile, from the second half of the sixteenth century. the process of feudal-Catholic reaction intensifies. The activities of the Catholic Church and its vanguard, the Jesuit order, led and directed by the Vatican, are being activated.
During the second half of the XVI-XVII century. the Catholic Church in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, with the support of kings and feudal lords, not only became a major landowner, but also made rather successful attempts to take all means of ideological influence into their own hands, acquire a monopoly on education, concentrate printing houses in their hands, establish strict censorship of the press, etc. .d.
Closely connected with his class environment, its ideological aspirations, Skorina is not an accidental figure in the history of culture, social and philosophical thought of the East Slavic peoples, he acts as an ideologist of the progressive strata of society, who managed to look into the historical perspective, outline some significant points in the subsequent development of society.
It was Skorina who first drew the educational program of the "seven free sciences" for national education, which was then adopted by fraternal schools, developed and improved by professors of the Kiev-Mohyla and Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy and played a significant role in the development of the East Slavic education system, philosophical thought rapprochement of national culture with the culture of the West.
Skaryna stood at the origins of spiritual secularism and Europeanization.
Publisher of the famous “Russian Bible”, educator-scribe. For Skaryna, the Bible is a collection of divinely revealed knowledge and a source of “seven sciences liberated” - grammar, logic, rhetoric, music, arithmetic, geometry and astronomy. Job and the Epistles of the Apostle Paul, rhetoric - Proverbs of Solomon, etc.
Skaryna's sociological and philosophical views are contained in the prefaces and afterwords, which he placed in all the biblical books he translated.
Forewords and Tales of F.
The scriptures for the books of the Holy Scriptures are of great interest and have no analogues (a general preface-interpretation to all biblical books appeared in the Elizabethan Bible in 1751).
In the preface to the book Job, Job at Skaryna appears not as a grain of sand lost among the universal myriads, as in the cosmogony of J.
Bruno, but is in direct dialogue with the Creator, who promised him salvation and adoption.
Skorina's exegesis, inheriting the best early Christian traditions, usually reveals in the text not an external eventual, literal, but a deeply antitypical, symbolic meaning.
The genre of prefaces, their rich connecting palette, their structural and syncretic diversity can be truly understood only on the basis of pedagogical, philosophical and exegetical ideas.
Skaryn, finally, from the importance he attached to each of the books of Holy Scripture in the matter of spiritual enlightenment and correction of the morals of the "common people".
Starting to translate into the "folk language" and print copies of the books of Holy Scripture, the Belarusian educator foresaw the onset of a new stage of familiarization with the Bible - no longer from the preaching of experienced theologians, but from independent reading, fraught with the danger of a simplified understanding of the books of Holy Scripture.
According to the idea of the Belarusian theologian, in order to prevent a simplified interpretation, the translation and edition of the biblical text should have been accompanied by an appropriate commentary and analytical apparatus. And, in essence, we see that Skaryna's preface from a service genre develops into a syncretic genre, where, along with information of a theological, historical, lexicographic nature, an important place is occupied by the interpretation of the antitypical-allegorical content of biblical books.
Afterwords as the final element in Skaryna's system also play a rich informative role.
In them, despite the lapidary form, the interpretation of the biblical content, begun in the preface, often continues.
Laconic afterwords complete each of the Prague Old Testament editions. The set of information contained here is approximately the same: the title of the book, the name of the translator and publisher, the place and time of publication. According to the afterword scheme, they could also repeat each other, because only the titles of books and the time of publication changed in them. Skaryna, however, tries to avoid dull repetition, all his afterwords are different.
Francysk Skaryna (~ 1490, Polatsk - ~ 1551, Prague) - Belarusian and ўskhodne-Slavic pershadrukar, asvetnik-humanist, writer, gramadski dzeyach, prodprymalnik, medical students.
Pahojanne
F. Skaryna's date of narration is unknown.
The pastoral acts of the university (pastupіў at the University of Krakow in 1504, at the act of the University of Padua in 1512 were called “young chalaveks”) gave the magic act of 1490 as the first year of narajennia (d.10-dapushchalna and 2). Dashedchykі lichats that the nickname "Skaryn" ўtvarylas the hell of the old word "skorina" (skura) or "skaryna" (skarynka).
The first dakladnyya zvestka right now Skarynaў are from the end of 15 tbsp. Father Francysk - Luk'yan Skaryna zgadvaetstsa ў spіse rasіyskih pasolskih pretenzіy 1492 and Polatsk merchants. To the elder brothers of Francysk Skaryna, Ivan, the Karalian Decree, called Iago adnachasov to the Vilna merchants and executioners. Invisibly and dearly the name of the Belarusian pershadrukar. The old hypothesis, that Skaryna is called Georgiy, does not tear out the lids of the holy new documentary references.
In his renditions, Skaryna more than 100 times spelled out the name "Francis", more often - "Francis".
Asvetnitskaya dzeynasts
Issued by Skaryna are called unique remembrances of the world renaissance and biblical writing. The Іх months in the European and Belarusian cultural-historical practices were marked by the historical traditions, traditions, peculiarities and the general level of the spiritual development of Belarus and the descendant-Slavic lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Once in a while, yana adlustration and asabisty lynxes of the issuer, Iago spiritual adoration and non-pastornasts, great encouragement to me.
The Bible of Skaryna does not adplyadaet for us nіvodnamu from the venerable hand-written qі drukavany zvoda of the Holy Scripture.
Yana adyhodzіts hell of tsar's traditional not so many warehouses and places (dze many kananіchnaga), kolki agulnaya nakіravanastsyu, living spirits and svetska khrystsіyanskaya prўznyatastsyu, hramadskіmі, natsyyanalna-patryyatychіchіmіchіmіchіmіmі Creations of Skaryna unpaired and organic are connected with yago issued, themes and nakiravanastsu yago spiritual dzeynasts.
Yana is itself a collection of concessions, concluding and commentary materials, yakiya dastasavans and advancing biblical books and brewing together with them and with us the Biblical order. The main role is played by the "preface" and closeness and their functions of "telling". In the Prague editions, there are 21 Pradmova and 4 sayings, in the Vilensk - Adpavedna 2 and 21.
Tag: Francysk Skaryna
Most of the recent admonitions of the ancient and said and hellish genres are different, to think of others (W. Konan, V. Darashkevich, A. Yaskevich) - the words of the nearest and the most recent Belarusian preaching, kazannya. Yana is unusually large, aggravated by piles of stiffness, beauty, full of Bagaslovskaya roaring.
Skaryna's books were intended for private and family reading, vykarystannya in tsarist services and secular libraries. Francysk Skaryna ўlichvaў adsutnasts in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the whole of Successful Europe developed book-writing traditions on the translation of biblical works, insufficient knowledge of them svetskikh and navat tsarkoўnyh kola.
Author's hand -bell -bells Bigblei (“Genadziysk biblia” 1499, “Dzashyagla” Matsya Dzeatag 1502-07, “Pyatskniga” Dzyak Fedara 1514) were not jumped for Shyrokaga glozjanjannya, the baoki of the Drivey, the diet -ons of the Dzhokyniynye foster. Kabbegnuts sproshchanaga, pamylkovaga ўsprynyatstsa Biblіі, Skaryna іmknuўsya ў simple and understand the form of kamenciravatsі bіblіyskіya texts, falling zvestka ab gіstarychnyh, pobytav, bagasloўskіh, my realities.
In the tealagic kantexes, the most important place in the ancient times and sayings of Skaryna was occupied by the so-called. exagesis - tlumachenny alegarychnaga instead of the books of the Old Zapaveta as a foreshadowing and forefathers of the New Testament padzes, the power of Christianity, the candle and overhead for the eternal spiritual uprooting. The complex of prayers and sayings dapaўnyayutsya kalafony - pastoral with some exit stars and t.zv.
inscriptions - written inscriptions and often leather books.
Даследчыкі адзначаюць стылявы і жанравы сінкрэтызм асноўных твораў Францыска Скарыны, дасканаласць выяўленчых сродкаў, публіцыстычнасць, экспрэсіўнасць, прытчавы і алегарычны характар, багацце гістарычных, філасофскіх, тэалагічных каментарыяў, сугучнасць узнёслай моўнай стылістыцы кніг Бібліі.
Francysk Skaryna
Francysk Skaryna, a scientist, educator-humanist of the Renaissance, left an indelible mark on the history of Russian culture, in the history of social and philosophical thought of the East Slavic peoples. He was one of the most highly educated people of his time: he graduated from two universities (Krakow and Padua), spoke several languages (besides his native Belarusian, he knew Lithuanian, Polish, Italian, German, Latin, Greek).
He traveled a lot, his business trips were long and distant: he visited many European countries, visited more than a dozen cities. Skaryna was distinguished by an extraordinary breadth of views and depth of knowledge. He is a physician, botanist, philosopher, astronomer, writer, translator. And besides, he was a skilled "bookmaker" - publisher, editor, printer. And this side of his activity had a huge impact on the formation and development of Slavic printing.
In the history of the domestic book business, Skaryna's activities are of particular importance. His first-born - "Psalter", published in Prague in 1517, is also the first Belarusian printed book. And the printing house, founded by him in Vilnius around 1522, is also the first printing house in the present territory of our country.
More than a century has passed since then.
Time irretrievably erased many facts from the biography of the Belarusian pioneer in the memory of generations. The riddle arises at the very beginning of Skaryna's biography: the exact date of his birth is unknown (usually indicated: "around 1490", "before 1490"). But recently in the literature, the year of Skaryna's birth is increasingly called 1486. This date was "calculated" as a result of the analysis of the publisher's mark - a small elegant engraving often found in his books depicting a solar disk and a crescent moon running on it.
The researchers decided that the first printer depicted the "death of the Sun" ( solar eclipse), denoting in this way the day of his birth (in the homeland of Skaryna, a solar eclipse was observed on March 6, 1486).
Polotsk, where Skaryna was born, was at that time a large trade and craft city on the Western Dvina, which was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
There were about fifteen thousand inhabitants in the city, who were mainly engaged in blacksmithing, foundry, pottery, trade, fishing, and hunting.
Skaryna's father was a merchant, selling leather and furs.
It is believed that Skaryna received his primary education in one of the Polotsk monastic schools.
In the autumn of 1504 Skaryna went to Krakow. He successfully passes the entrance exams to the university and his name appears in the list of students - Francysk Lukich Skaryna from Polotsk. Skaryna studied at the faculty, where they studied traditional disciplines, reduced to a strict system of seven "free arts": grammar, rhetoric, dialectics (these are formal or verbal arts), arithmetic, geometry, music, astronomy (real arts).
In addition to these disciplines, Skorina studied theology, law, medicine, and ancient languages.
Krakow is the capital of the Kingdom of Poland, a city with a centuries-old Slavic culture.
The flourishing of art, science, and education also contributed to the relatively early emergence of book printing here. At the beginning of the XVI century. There were twelve printing houses in Krakow. The publications of the Krakow printer Jan Haller, whose activities were most closely connected with the University of Krakow, were especially famous - the printer supplied him teaching aids, literature.
Possibly, Skaryna was familiar with Galler and received the first information about book publishing and book printing from him. Among those who awakened in young Skaryn a love for "black art" was the teacher of the faculty of "liberal arts", a humanist scientist Jan from Glogov, who himself showed an interest in printing.
Student years flew by quickly, and in 1506
Skaryna, after graduating from Krakow University, receives the title of Bachelor of Liberal Arts and leaves Krakow.
... In early 1967, the Academy of Sciences of the Byelorussian SSR received a parcel from Italy (from the University of Padua) - photocopies of documents and materials related to one important event in the life of Skaryna. Documents testify that in the fall of 1512, “a certain very learned, but poor young man, doctor of arts, came to Padua from very distant countries ... and turned to the College with a request to allow him, as a gift and a special favor, to be tested in the field of medicine” .
And further: "the young man and the aforementioned doctor bears the name of Francis, the son of the late Luka Skaryna from Polotsk." On November 5, the “Board of the Most Glorious Padua Doctors of Art and Medicine” admitted Skaryna to the tests, which took place on November 9 in the Bishop's Palace in the presence of the most prominent scientists of the University of Padua. The examinee withstood the test with brilliance, "commendably and flawlessly" answering questions, reasonably objecting to controversial remarks. The Board unanimously awarded him the title of Doctor of Medicine.
Being in Padua, Skaryna could not, of course, miss the opportunity to visit neighboring Venice - the universally recognized center of European book printing, a city with numerous printing houses and established book publishing traditions.
At that time, the famous Aldus Manutius was still living and working in Venice, whose publications enjoyed pan-European fame. Undoubtedly, Skorina held an aldina in her hands, and perhaps, having become interested in the book business and making certain plans on this score, she met with the great publisher himself.
Nothing is known about the next five years of Skaryna's life.
Where has he been all this time? What did you do during these years? Where did you go from Padua?
Scientists try to fill this gap with conjectures, assumptions. Some believe that Skaryna made trips as part of a diplomatic mission to the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen, and then to Vienna.
Others believe that Skaryna visited Wallachia and Moldavia with the intention of setting up printing houses there. Still others claim that Skaryna came to Vilnius for a short time, where he tried to interest some wealthy citizens with his book publishing plans. Or maybe he immediately went from Padua to Prague with the firm intention to engage in book publishing? ..
So Prague.
151 7 By the middle of summer, Skorina had basically completed all the preliminary work related to the organization of the printing house, and they were ready to type the manuscript. On August 6, his first book, The Psalter, is published. The preface to the book says: “... I am Francysk Skaryna, the son of Polotsk in the medical sciences, the doctor ordered that the Psalter be embossed in Russian words and in the Slovenian language ...”
The Prague period of Skaryna's book publishing activity (1517-1519) was generally very eventful - he published nineteen more small books, which, together with the Psalter, made up a major publication - the Russian Bible.
Already in his first books, he showed a subtle understanding of the nature of book art. Skorina perceived the book as an integral literary and artistic organism, where all design techniques and typographic materials used should fully correspond to the content of the book.
The Prague editions of Skaryna in terms of artistic and technical design and typographic performance are not inferior to the best examples of European book publishers of that time and significantly surpass the previous books of the Church Slavonic press. Three books contain an engraving portrait of the publisher himself - Skaryna (you had to have a strong character to decide on such a daring act - to include an illustration of secular content in a liturgical book).
The engraving is very elegant and, despite the many smallest details, the reader's attention is focused primarily on the human figure. Skaryna is depicted in a doctor's robe, an open book in front of him, rows of books to his right; there are a lot of tools and devices in the office: an hourglass, a lamp with a reflector, an armillary sphere - an astronomical goniometer ...
But the most significant feature of Skaryna's editions (not only Prague, but all subsequent ones) is the simplicity of presentation of the content: the text is always given in translation into the colloquial folk language with the necessary comments and explanations.
Nothing is known about the Prague printing house of Skaryna.
How was it equipped? Who else besides Skaryna himself worked in it? Only its approximate location can be established. In some of his books, Skaryna indicates where the printing house was located: “in the Old Town of Prague.” Perhaps among them the house where Skaryna began to print books was also lost.
Approximately in 1520, Skaryna moved to Vilnius, where "in the house of a respectable husband, the senior steward of the glorious and great place of Vilna" Yanub Babich founded a printing house and printed two books - "A Small Road Book" and "Apostle".
Until recently, it was believed that both editions were published in the same year - 1525. Moreover, the following order was observed: first "Apostle", and then "Small Road Book".
But at the end of the fifties of our century, a sensational discovery was made in the Royal Library in Copenhagen - a complete copy of Paschalia, the last part of the Little Travel Book, was discovered. And on the fourteenth sheet of the copy, a calendar for 1523 was printed. Thus, it was established that the “Small Road Book” was the first domestic printed book and it was published no later than 1522. This book is interesting in many respects.
It was intended not only for liturgical purposes, but also for the needs of itinerant townspeople, merchants, and artisans. Small in format (8th part of a sheet) and volume, it contains a lot of generally useful advice on economic affairs, medicine, and practical astronomy.
Compared to the Prague editions, the Vilnius books are much richer in design. Two-color printing is more widely used in them, the fonts are distinguished by great elegance. The books are decorated with a large number of large and small headpieces, the purpose of which was determined by the publisher himself: “Behind each kathisma there is a large headpiece, and for each chapter there is a smaller headpiece for a false division of the readers.”
In other words, decorating the book, Skaryna sought not only to make it a highly artistic work of art, but also to help the reader quickly navigate the content.
In March 1525, Skaryna published The Apostle (the first domestic printed accurately dated book).
On this, his publishing and printing activities, apparently, ceased. So far, no other books with his publishing mark have been found. The next event in the life of the Belarusian first printer has a purely mundane character: he gets married, participates in a lawsuit (the division of property). In 1530
Francysk Skaryna
Albrecht, Duke of Prussia, invites Skaryna to his service. Skaryna goes to Koenigsberg, but does not stay here for long: family affairs force him to return to Vilnius. Here he was again forced to participate in complex legal proceedings. For some time he served as secretary and personal physician of the Vilna Bishop.
In the mid-thirties, Skaryna left for Prague and served as a doctor and gardener at the royal court. Francysk Skaryna died around 1540.
Educational activity of F. Skaryna.
Francysk Skaryna(1490 - c. 1541), an outstanding Belarusian educator and printing pioneer, a man of broad erudition (graduated from Krakow University (1506) with a bachelor's degree, received a doctorate in liberal sciences, passed the exams for a doctorate in medical sciences at Poduan University (1512) .
Skaryna translated the entire Bible into Slavonic (in the Belarusian edition) and published 23 biblical books under the general title "Bible": "Psalter" (Prague, 1517), "Small travel book" (Vilna, 1522), "Apostle" (Vilna, 1525).
Skaryna was characterized by a new view of the Holy Scriptures: he sought to bring biblical books out of a limited circle of church consumers and bring them closer to a wide range of readers, make them public, popular, use them as textbooks for mastering the so-called "seven free sciences" ("Psalter" - for the study of grammar, "The Book of St. Job" - for the study of logic, "The Book of Solomon" - for the study of rhetoric, "The Book of Joshua" - for the study of geometry).
He believed that the biblical books are treasures of knowledge, they give a lot of information in other areas of knowledge that go beyond the then accepted “seven free sciences”.
F. Skorina outlined his educational views in 49 prefaces and 62 afterwords, in which he tried to give a theoretical understanding critical issues upbringing and education: the role of upbringing and education in human life, the ideas of harmonious development of the individual, faith in the power of the human mind, the need for versatile knowledge, the development of spirituality; service to the motherland, the importance of labor in the education of the individual.
The meaning of SKORINA FRANCIS (GEORGE) in the Brief Biographical Encyclopedia
The interpretation of these problems brought him closer to the best Western European representatives of the Renaissance.
The artistic design of the books published by F. Skorina attracts attention: the text is decorated with engravings, headpieces, and illustrations.
The small format of books, beautiful design, rich language made them popular and accessible; they looked better than Western European editions.
There are many mysteries and secrets in the studies of the life and heritage of the pioneer printer - Francysk Skaryna. Yes, we do not yet know where he died and where the ashes are, where this enlightener, a tireless worker, a supporter of rapprochement and mutual understanding of all peoples and denominations, especially Christian ones, rests.
Research begins
And it is very good that the priests of this church, headed by the priest-priest, candidate of historical sciences Vladislav Zavalniuk, took up the noble cause of searching for the ashes of Francysk Skaryna in the Czech Republic and transferring it to their homeland, to the church of Saints Simeon and Helena. Therefore, in order to facilitate their search, the efforts of other scoring scholars, I will share the results of my work over the past time - both with oral and printed, and with virtual sources.
First of all, the city of Cesky Krumlov attracted my attention, where he worked at the castle as a so-called gardener, but in fact as an educator, a botanist-doctor, the eldest son of our pioneer printer Simeon.
However, here it is necessary to return for a while to the Vilna period of the life and publishing activities of Francysk Skaryna, since the reader may have questions: where did Skaryna get two sons in the Czech Republic, one of whom is there - for sure, and the second - perhaps, did the same as and father, - botanical, horticultural and medical activities, which can become a reliable guide when searching. And why was our famous compatriot forced to leave Vilnius, which is related and close to Polotsk, in order to return to a more distant and alien Prague? To do this, at least briefly dwell on the events of the 1520s of the life and work of Skaryna. Having published at least 22 books of Bible translations in Prague, in order to connect with his real, mostly Orthodox reader, he went to continue his sacred work in Vilnius, the capital of the common and for the ancestors of Belarusians, almost an independent Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Spent over ten years there. In 1522 he published the much-needed, almost all-Christian "Small Road Book". And in 1525 - "Apostle". And that's it!
However, we know that Skaryna was very hardworking, he could not sit with his hands folded. We also know that in the second half of the 1520s he helped Bishop John of Vilna, the son of the then king of the first Commonwealth. I believe that it was on the instructions of the Bishop that our pioneer printer did the responsible and honorable work of compiling the first Statute of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. According to tradition, it is believed that this essentially the first constitution in Europe was created mainly by Albrecht Gashtold, since 1522, simultaneously the chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Vilnius governor, the owner of Geranen, Ostrovets and a dozen other estates. But a comprehensive study of this magnate figure of my countryman convinced me that he could only organize the writing. The only figure in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania who could combine "divine right" and "human right" in the Charter was Francysk Skaryna, Bishop Jan's secretary! He was the only citizen of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania who successfully graduated from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow two years earlier and brilliantly became a doctor at the University of Padua in Italy.
In the summer, the authors of the Charter, apparently under the interested patronage of Bishop John and his father, the royal grace of Sigismund the Old himself, the husband of the reforming queen Bona Sforza, and maybe herself, the "renaissance", were heading east for the "royal gifts", were refreshed along the way in a tavern specially opened with their permission in Cassino Velikaya and drove on to Ostrovets, the nearest estate of the Goshtolds. Apparently, Skaryna was supposed to publish the first printed Charter in Vilnius, otherwise why would he kidnap a Jewish printer in Korolevtsy and then endure the persecution of the Prussian duke for this?! But how it was with this further, I still do not know. In any case, after the first Charter, the second and third appeared in updated editions during the same century!
Simultaneously with the state-public, Skaryna also performed family responsibilities, raised two sons from his first and only wife Margarita, the widow of his Vilna financial benefactor Grigory Advernik, who died just in 1525, when the second of the Vilna books appeared. A year later, having endured mourning, Margarita (her age is still unknown) married Francis, but soon she herself died.
Are sons related?
Finally, in 1534, having survived the persecution of the Prussian Duke Albrecht, the claims to the inheritance (castle) of his wife in Vilnius, and, most likely, the wrongful imprisonment in the Poznań prison for the debts of his older brother Ivan, Francysk Skaryna took both sons with him to Prague, and soon they already there helped their father in "gardening", together and separately. But I still have a question: were they his sons? Could Margarita give birth to them in just three years, when he was mostly away? Most likely, it was thought, showing Christian mercy, Francis adopted them, quite adults, and taught them familiar to himself (recall his exams in Padua), necessary for humanity and nature - medicine, then mainly natural history.
Now let's move on to the most important part: where Skaryna died and was buried? Some argue that, of course, in Prague, others - that his king of the Czech Republic, Ferdinand, took him to Austria as an experienced specialist and faithful servant, and still others ... I am most convinced by the compared facts given in an article by an experienced scoring specialist Vyacheslav Chemeritsky and placed in a multi-volume encyclopedic reference book "Belarusian writers".
Let us quote from there the most important for us slightly abbreviated paragraph. In 1535, Skorina returned (probably with two sons, Simeon and Francis) "to Prague, where he got a job as a learned gardener in the royal botanical garden, which was then being laid. He worked in the garden of the Czech king Ferdinand and F. Skorina until the summer of 1539. Where he lived and what he did after that, we do not know. In the Czech Republic (possibly in the South), the Belarusian humanist found his eternal rest. Unfortunately, we do not know either the exact time or place of burial. Most likely, he died in 1551, so how, at the beginning of the next year, the Czech king issued Skaryna's son Simeon a special letter (dated January 29) for the right to search throughout the country and inherit the property of his father, already deceased. as evidenced by two recently discovered court decrees (of August 17 and December 15) of King Sigismund August Simeon Skorina lived in South Bohemia in the 1570s and was also engaged in medicine and gardening e. - Auth.). The second son of the first printer Frantisek died in 1541 in Prague during a fire. The descendants of Simeon Skaryna lived in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Heading to Cesky Krumlov
On my own behalf, I’ll add that one of the distant, but aware of kinship heir, Jerzy Skorina, lived in the capital of Mexico, was also engaged in printing there, and actively corresponded with me. In one of the letters I asked him: did Francis Skaryna really live in South Bohemia before his death, with his eldest son? He told me that it was Český Krumlov, the center of a supposedly independent duchy. It was ruled first by the Czechs, and then, in a neighborly way with Moravia, by the Austrians or Saxons ...
And now, when such information was very useful for searching for the ashes of our pioneer printer, for two days, thanks to Internet sources, I "traveled" around Cesky Krumlov. And it turned out that real searches in this South Moravian city, as well as searches in the archives of neighboring deaneries, can be very promising.
Judge for yourself. in Český Krumlov there are only two churches. One, surrounded by the walls of the monastery, disappears as a "departmental", closed. The second - in the name of St. Vitus, parish, Gothic in style, stands on the shore-peninsula of the Vltava and just near the castle, consecrated long before the arrival of both Skoryns: it became a parish in 1329, the center of the Dovdlebsky deanery in 1374, and after reconstruction, it was consecrated again in 1439. Skorinov, as important persons, could be buried, moreover, with proper tombstones, only there, and the fact of burial could be reported to the dean's office, whose name changed.
However, the further history of the court and parish church named after St. Vitus developed, as evidenced by the sources, tortuously. In 1583, it became the burial place for representatives of the Rozmberg House, in 1591 it was administratively transferred to the Jesuit Order, which, of course, did not really appreciate the Eastern Slavs. Moreover, in the presbytery from the tombstones, located even in the center of the church hall, it became crowded. Therefore, the new owner of the castle, Maria Ernestine von Egenberg, in 1717 ordered them to be taken out (but where, to what cemeteries?). A list of tombstones was compiled, which, according to sources, is the only one preserved. Therefore, it can serve as coordinates in search of the ashes of our first printer. However, it turns out that the countess's plan was not carried out at that time: she died in 1719. Even in 1750, red marble tombstones still hung on the walls at the entrance to the "chapel" of John of Nepomuk. Maybe they are still there?
No, without a search visit to the Church of St. Vitus and the archives of the surrounding deans, it is clearly impossible to do here.
Well, let's get to work: spiritual, intellectual, search! There should be a lot of documents about Skaryna, our first book publisher and thus our main hero of the year this year, in the Czech Republic and in different repositories.
Professor Adam MALDIS