The Ostromir Gospels, the second oldest dated East Slavic book, has been included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme, an international initiative launched to preserve the documentary heritage of humanity. The Voice of Russia’s Olga Bugrova reports.
The Ostromir Gospels was written in Church Slavonic in 1057 for St.Sofia’s Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod. The book was created by deacon Gregory for his patron, Posadnik Ostromir, possibly as a gift for the monastery. Though classified as the first Russian book, in fact, it isn’t. The Novgorod Psalm Book discovered in 2000 was written several decades earlier. It consists of four wooden plates covered in wax with the text scribbled over it with a sharpened stick. Researchers have yet to establish the exact date of the Novgorod Psalm Book.
The Ostromir Gospels has survived in good condition, which makes the manuscript still more valuable. All 294 sheets covered with large Church Slavonic characters used for solemn occasions have been preserved in full. The book is richly studded with miniatures and gems. At present, the monument is kept at the Russian National Library in St.Petersburg. Alexei Alekseev, who heads the Library’s manuscript department, comments:
"The original is stored in a special case. Each sheet is stored separately with special paper inserted between the sheets. We take it out when it needs airing. In the near future, we plan to post a digital copy of the manuscript on our website so that it could be accessible to all people interested in Russian history."
In 2007, which marked the 950th anniversary of the Ostromir Gospels, the book was put on display at the Prince Vladimir Church in St.Petersburg. The book’s oak case was replaced with a titanium one the inside of which was made of incombustible thermal insulation material. Father Vladimir of the Prince Vladimir Church, recalls:
"The Ostromir Gospels is a national shrine of invaluable importance. It’s a living record of Church Slavonic and holy text."
The Ostromir Gospels is the eighth old Russian book listed in the Memory of the World documentary heritage. Earlier entries include old religious texts, the first Cyrillic books, a collection of newspapers and geographical maps of the Russian Empire, Russian posters of the 19th – 20th cc., and a collection of historical audio records.
UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme in effect since 1992 was launched as a special supplement to UNESCO’s World Heritage. Nine natural and 15 cultural sites in Russia are listed as UNESCO’s World Heritage sites. Among them is a string of architectural ensembles, including the Moscow Kremlin, the historical center of St.Petersburg, and the white-stone monuments in Golden Ring towns. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage adopted by UNESCO in 1972 and signed by 187 countries. On January 30th the UNESCO headquarters in Paris is hosting a meeting the participants of which will declare the year 2012 Year of World Heritage.
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