The copy of “Peresopnytsia Gospel” at the University of Wrocław
A facsimile of the well-known “Peresopnytsia Gospel” – a 16th-century manuscript considered a national treasure of Ukraine – was handed over to the University of Wrocław on March 14. Prof. dr hab. Robert Olkiewicz, rector of the University of Wrocław received it from Oleksandr Drabynka, Metropolian and vice-chairman of Synodal Committee of Interchristian Relations of Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
The copy of “Peresopnytsia Gospel” will be a new addition to the University’s collections. The piece is a richly illumined manuscript consisting of 482 parchment pages with the oldest preserved translation of four Gospels from Old Church Slavonic to Old East Slavic. The Manuscript was made between 1556-1561 from the Princess Nastacia Zheslavska of Volyn funds. It was kept in an orthodox monastery in Peresopnytsia until 1701 and then was handed over to Pereiaslav by hetman Ivan Mazepa. Since 1948, the manuscript has been a part of the collections of the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine in Kyiv. The Gospel is used for the Ukrainian President’s swearing-in after the election.
The received piece with 24-carat gold flakes is one of the thousand released in 2008.
Metropolitan Oleksandr stressed that the gift is a symbolic gesture of gratefulness to the community of University of Wroclaw for their engagement in helping Ukrainian refugees. What is more, the vice president of the Institute of Philosophy, who is the leading researcher of the Centre for Prognostic Research on Religious Changes, and Volodymyr Balandiuk from the “Osnowa” Foundation were present at the ceremonial handover.
Translated by Anna Kobylowska (student of English Studies at the University of Wrocław) as part of the translation practice.
