From October 22, 2008, to November 21, 2008, in the Book Museum is open an exhibition “Orthodox rarities” where are displayed the most valuable Cyrillic Orthodox manuscripts and incunabula from the NLB’s collections.
In 2008 Christians celebrate the 1020th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia. For the first time, the anniversary of the significant historical event is celebrated on the international level in the cities of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia.
In the Х-th century Christianity arrived to the East Slavonic lands along with written language. Saints Cyril and Methodius created Slavonic alphabet and translated the Holy Writ from Greek into Slavonic language that predetermined the development of East Slavonic written language.
The first section of the exhibition acquaints with unique manuscripts of the XVI-th – XVIІ-th centuries: gospels, missals, hagiography, and collected lectures.
In the second section are displayed Cyrillic incunabula published in the XVI-th – XVIІ-th centuries in the eminent book-printing centers of Belarus Беларуси (Vilno, Mogilev, Suprasl, Kutejn), Russia (Moscow), and Ukraine (Kiev, Lvov, Chernigov).
There are displayed as well original books of the Prague Bible (1517-1519) printed by Frantisek Skaryna; the Gospel by Pyotr Mstislavets (1575), the first issue by Mamonich Vilno printing-house, and the Ostrozhskaya Bible (1581) by Ivan Fyodorov, the first printed translation of the Bible into the Church Slavonic language.
In the third section are displayed the modern issues of the Holy Writ.
Besides the book exhibition in the Book Museum is open a small exposition of Christian antiquities from National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Institute of History collections. Some of them were found by archaeologists in 2008 and are exposed for the first time; among them – icons, crosses, stamps, seals, and church plate.
The archaeological exhibition is open from October 22, 2008, to November 1, 2008.
