The Book Museum offers a new thematic excursion "A Religious Book". Visitors will become acquainted with religious books in its variety.
2012 year was declared as the Year of Book for the purpose of increasing the role a book and reading in a modern society. In this connection the Book Museum is going to make new thematic excursions for visitors.
The exposition contains hand-written books: Gospel of the 16th – 18th centuries decorated by headpieces and colourful initials; collections of church motets; old hand-written monuments, including singing manuscripts with hook notation.
The first books, published by first Eastern-Slavic printers, were also religious. In 1517–1519 Francysk Skorina in Prague published "Psaltyr" and 22 books of the Old Testament under the title "Biblia Ruska". In our country the National Library of Belarus is the only one owner of his original books. Visitors can see Skoryna’s books and his followers such as Ivan Fedorov and Peter Mstislavts.
There are editions from Vilnius, Brest, Kutein, Mogilev, Suprasl, Pinsk, and etc. Old printed books of various religions (Orthodox, Catholic, Uniat, Protestant and Old Believers), which were published in Belarus are presented at the exposition. This variety of religions means that the Belarusian culture is multireligious.
The section "Book bindings" will show visitors of the museum illuminated Gospel, rare edition "Oko tserkovnoe" (The eye of Church) (1610) and other church books, which are very good decorated.
Thus, the excursion in the Book Museum will allow visitors to get acquainted more widely with religious books of various beliefs and with features of decorating of these books, and also to know more about traditions and religious people’s beliefs.
Excursions in the Book Museum are organized every day on a pay basis from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m. An excursion is by previous appointment on phone number 293-27-22 (Museum activity section).
