Copying the Proto-Book

The birthplace of the Ukrainian Proto-Book, the village of Peresopnytsia in Rivne region, has launched a new project. It will allow everyone to join the effort to copy the Peresopnytsia Gospel. Visitors will first be offered a workshop on writing in Old Ukrainian, and then get a chance to write on a special sheet a word from the Proto-Book, as initiator of the project, director of Peresopnytsia cultural and archeological center Mykola Fedoryshyn explained. Thereafter, these sheets will be sewn together as a manuscript. The artists are now equipping a scriptorium, that is, a dedicated writing facility.

“This idea has long been with us,” Fedoryshyn told the press. “Actually, it was suggested by the story of the Ukrainian Proto-Book’s creation itself. Those who will join the project will learn more about it. The Peresopnytsia Gospel is the first known translation of the Holy Scripture into spoken Ukrainian language. The work on it started in the summer of 1556, and the book was completed in 1561. It was ordered by princess Anastasia Zaslavska. After her husband’s death, she decided to become a nun. Meanwhile, the princess allocated money to copy and decorate a gospel book. It was considered a godly deed at the time.” The book was copied by two monks, Vasylevych brothers, archimandrite Gregory and friar Michael. The main text of the Peresopnytsia Gospel was done in ustav script, or uncials, by two distinct hands. The book has 482 parchment sheets and weighs over nine kilograms. It is decorated with four elaborately painted miniatures, featuring paints laid on a gold background. The Peresopnytsia Gospel manuscript is now considered a masterpiece of art. Rivne region has a copy of it, preserved in the cultural and archeological center.

In addition, the institution is gathering a unique collection of the Holy Scripture translations into different languages. It is the only one of its kind in the world at present. Peresopnytsia is now holding over 50 copies of the Good Book, offering the Bible in Finnish, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Romani, Karakalpak, and even Esperanto. Most exhibits have been donated by patrons of the institution. It also has a rare book which has been brought there from South Africa and features Christian texts written in the Boer language. The latter arose three centuries ago as a result of different dialects of Dutch mixing with English and German. The Boer Bible was presented by a South African pastor. He arrived in Kyiv on business and, having accidentally found out about this collection, decided to join in its creation. Currently, Peresopnytsia cultural and archeological center is expecting arrival of a copy of the Holy Scripture from the Philippines.