peresopnytsia gospel

The Peresopnytsia Gospel (in Ukrainian: Peresopnitske Yevanhelije), dating from the 16th century, is one of the most intricate surviving East Slavic manuscripts. It was crafted between August 15, 1556 and August 29, 1561, and was compiled at the Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Dvirtsi, and at the Monastery of the Mother of God in Peresopnytsia, Volyn'. The scribe was Mykhailo Vasylovych, son of archpriest from Sianik, who worked under the direction of Hryhorii, the archimandrite of the Peresopnytsia Monastery. The manuscript includes only the four Gospels of the New Testament, and is ornamented with Glagolitic characters, which were influenced by the Italian Renaissance style. The Glagolitic alphabet was invented by Saints Cyril and Methodius in the 9th century to translate the Bible and other religious works into old Church Slavonic, the language of the Bulgarians and Serbs, and the liturgical language of the Russian Orthodox Church. Although it is not in daily use it was used for religious purposes until the late 19th century in Croatia. This is the first known example of a vernacular Old Ukrainian translation of the canonical text of the Scriptures. Three Ukrainian Presidents—Leonid Kravchuk in 1991, Leonid Kuchma in 1994, and Viktor Yushchenko in 2005—took the oath of office on the Gospel.

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