"Simeon, the Son of Polotsk", a book and illustrative exhibition dedicated to the 390th anniversary of the birth of the state, church and cultural figure of Belarus and Russia, opened in the business and cultural complex of the Embassy of Belarus in Russia, on December 12.
The exposition reveals the multifaceted personality of Simeon of Polotsk as an enlightener, theologian, preacher, poet, playwright, book publisher and mentor. Belarusian by birth, Samuil Gavrilovich Petrovsky-Sitnianovich studied at higher educational institutions of the Commonwealth and became the first Moscow educator of the European type. His writing, formed in an atmosphere of cultural borderland, combined the literary traditions of the West and East of Europe and brought Russian literature into the mainstream of European art of the Baroque era.
The exhibition presents publications of the 20th – 21st centuries from the collections of the National Library of Belarus. The value of these materials is, firstly, their availability. Secondly, the exhibits reflect the interest of scholars and publishers in the personality of Simeon of Polotsk, both in the twentieth century and at the present stage.
The exposition includes publications about Polotsk, the native city of the enlightener, where Belarusian statehood was born and where a whole galaxy of outstanding historical figures came from. It also reflects the period of life when, moving to Moscow, he brought with him the “fruits of European scholarship”: the exhibition shows the places where these “fruits” were collected, and the areas where they were reflected.
Visitors can familiarize themselves with the facsimile edition of the first book of the enlightener, Warder of Power (in Russian: Жезл правления), prepared by the National Library of Belarus with the support of Belgazprombank, and also biographical monographs and fiction about Simeon of Polotsk.
The exposition is illustrated with portraits, autographs, images of cities, title pages and quotes, which clearly show vivid episodes and significant stages in the life and work of our famous countryman.
The exhibition in Moscow will run for a month.
Public Relations Department
