The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra was presented with a facsimile edition of the Peresopnytsky Gospel, an exact copy of the 16th-century manuscript on which the presidents of Ukraine take the oath. The book will be kept in the Refectory Church of Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves.
Such a gift to the 975th anniversary of the Lavra and the 100th anniversary of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve was made by the Nagornyuk-Danylyuk, Nagornyuk, Kvachenyuk, Yakovlev, and Kis families. They were honored with thanks for their contribution to the preservation and popularization of Ukrainian heritage, together with Igor Shpak, the founder of the ADEF publishing house, where a facsimile was prepared.
The edition reproduces the text and decoration of the ancient manuscript. The dark brown leather binding is made according to the original model and is decorated with silver images of Christ and the four evangelists. The illustrations in the facsimile use gold leaf.
The copy even retains traces of use: corrections to the text, stains, drops of wax, and marks on the pages. The paper was specially prepared to feel like parchment.
Along with the large volume, the Lavra was given a smaller-format book, “The Peresopnytsia Gospel. Origins and Present.” It contains, along with reduced copies of the manuscript pages, a transliteration of the original and the text in modern Ukrainian. It can be used during divine services.
The Peresopnytsia Gospel was created in 1556–1561 in Dvirtsy and Peresopnytsia in Volyn. Its text was translated into the Ukrainian literary language of the time to make the Holy Scriptures more understandable to readers.
For the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, which has long been under imperial influence, this gift is another link to the Ukrainian literary and spiritual tradition. It reminds us of the ancient roots of Ukrainian prayer, which today resounds in the Lavra’s churches.
