A new exposition has opened at the Skovorodynivka museum

When you come to the village of Skovorodynivka in Kharkiv oblast the monument to the celebrated philosopher is the first thing to catch the eye. Close by there is his memorial museum. Here everything is reminiscent of the times of Hryhory Skovoroda, who came to Slobozhanshchyna in 1759 to work as a poetry class teacher. He then applied for a post of the teacher of “the Greek language and syntactical class” and afterwards became the first secular lecturer at the Kharkiv Theological Collegium founded by Empress Anna Ioannovna.

Timed to coincide with Skovoroda’s birthday, a new exposition opened at the Skovorodynivka museum dedicated to the wanderer, poet, and philosopher. The painting by Oleh Lazarenko, Road to the Temple, and artwork by a creative group of Kharkiv artists and designers, Slobozhanske Buryme, captured the essence of Skovoroda’s success, namely the combination of nearly monastic asceticism with love of life, people, and the world. The baroque theatricality of the exposition and the iconic image of the poet and philosopher have become the key to understanding the epoch of the Ukrainian Enlightenment and Skovoroda’s place in it.

Kharkiv Governor Yevhen Kushnariov, who attended the opening ceremony, stressed that UAH 300,000 allocated for the exposition is obviously not enough. The museum itself is in need of major repairs. In future, another UAH 500,000 is planned for the museum purposes.

Skovoroda readings at the National Karmazin University, a scholarly conference, Hryhory Skovoroda and Antiquity, literary soirees, and concerts of sacred music were held as part of the jubilee celebrations. Kharkiv residents have also joined the drive of The Day and Olha Herasymyuk to collect books for the library in Chornukhy, the philosopher’s home village.