Authorship
Making books in the 11th century. was a complex process in which, as a rule, several people participated. Research shows that several people worked on the Ostromir Gospel.
The Ostromir Gospel was written in 1056-1057
In the afterword to the book, Deacon Gregory is named as the author of the tome. Moreover, the first 23 sheets of text differ in writing style from the main part. Thus, Gregory is the main, but not the only copyist working on the Gospel.
Interesting: Gregory came to Novgorod together with the mayor Ostromir, appointed by the Kyiv prince Izyaslav. Therefore, the tome could have been created both in Novgorod and Kyiv.
Currently, the monument of ancient Russian literature is stored in the Russian National Library
The Ostromir Gospel has an interesting fate. It was lost several times, it was stolen, it was restored, etc. Currently it is stored in the Russian National Library named after M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin in St. Petersburg.
Ostromir Gospel, mid-11th century. The artifact is kept in the Russian National Library named after M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin in St. Petersburg
The most precious monument of world culture is stored in conditions that exclude access to it by unauthorized persons. Only scientists with special permission and museum curators can work with it.
At the same time, the Russian National Library offers those who wish to work with the artifact a high-quality photo of it.
A facsimile edition of the Ostromyslov Gospel was released in 1988.
1988
this year a facsimile edition of the Ostromyslov Gospel was released
There are also interactive copies of the book. It is also worth noting that the Gospel is constantly being studied by researchers from around the world.
To satisfy the demand for it, in 1988, in honor of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus', a facsimile edition was published. Its circulation amounted to 5,000 copies, which made it possible to saturate the scientific world and satisfy the curiosity of lovers of ancient Russian literature.
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The book is a monument of art
The Ostromir Gospel is not just a book. It is a monument of artistic art that unites Greek and Western European traditions.
Binding and frame
Information about the original type of binding has not been preserved. At the beginning of the 19th century. the manuscript was in a velvet cover. In the middle of this century, a precious setting was created, the sketch of which was developed by the artist I. I. Gornostaev. The massive metal frame is decorated with floral patterns and miniatures made in the Old Byzantine style.
Artistic images
The decoration of the book and an interesting historical source are the artistic images located on the pages of the book. These include:
- Miniatures depicting the Evangelists. The manuscript contains three completed drawings, which contain drawings of the evangelists Luke, Mark and John. There is no image of Matthew, but the original contains a blank page for a drawing. The miniatures were painted by two masters. The image of the Apostle John the Theologian has no analogues in other sources. Above the figure of John is a lion, which is considered a symbol of Christ. Researchers also believe that the lion may hint at the involvement of relatives of the Byzantine emperors, whose symbol was the royal animal, in the creation of the book. The miniatures depicting Luke and Mark are made in an excellent manner, reminiscent of the frescoes that adorn the walls of the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv.
Iconography of the Ostromir Gospel miniature - 20 headbands are made in the form of decorative enamels. They depict floral patterns of intertwining flowers on stems. The artist performed the work with bright, dense paints, which gave the images the appearance of enamel miniatures.
- Numerous initials - the letters with which large parts of the text began - are decorated with unique patterns. They combine plant patterns characteristic of Greek culture and anthropomorphic images common in Latin countries.
The artists working on the artistic design of the book were fluent in the visual techniques that were used both in Byzantium and in European countries.
Font
The solemn purpose of the book is reflected in the font used by the copyist. The manuscript is written in a charter - a strict, clear font, which is characterized by the following distinctive features:
- writing letters without slanting;
- separate outline of each line in the elements;
- the shape of the letters is close to a square;
- elements are not connected to each other.
The text is written in two columns, each containing 18 lines. The size of the characters gradually increases from 5 to 7 mm.
Ostromir Gospel: past, present and future
The Ostromir Gospel is the oldest dated Russian handwritten book that has survived to this day.
It stands at the origins of the thousand-year development of our culture. According to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', “both in ancient times and now it unites people around the name of Christ the Savior and is an enduring spiritual symbol of Russia.” From October 29 to November 1, 2007, an international scientific conference dedicated to the 950th anniversary of the Ostromir Gospel was held at the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg. The conference at the National Library of Russia continued the ceremonial events of the anniversary year: on April 9, 2007, on the bright days of Easter, the Ostromir Gospel was for the first time in many centuries at the service in St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg. Many people were able to venerate this shrine and, with a sense of reverence, feel their involvement in the Christian cultural heritage.
The anniversary of the unique monument caused a great public outcry, bringing together representatives of government authorities and the Russian Orthodox Church, outstanding scientists, cultural figures and industrialists. The conference at the National Library of Russia showed once again that there are areas where state, religious and scientific interests come together. This is the preservation of cultural traditions, education and protection of the morality of the people.
The Ostromir Gospel is a pearl of medieval literature. “In this precious manuscript we have the greatest treasure: both in terms of antiquity and in the sense of the external beauty of the monument: it is a wonderful example of the written art of our ancestors. None of the Slavs, except us Russians, had the good fortune to preserve such a monument from their handwritten antiquity,” wrote the historian of Russian literature N.P. in 1900. Field. In the 80s of the 19th century, at the expense of the merchant Ilya Savinkov, a photolithographic edition of the Ostromir Gospel was undertaken. This publication made the monument widely known in Russia: in secondary and higher educational institutions they read texts from it when studying the Old Church Slavonic language. Every high school student could answer the question about the Ostromir Gospel.
What now? It cannot be said that the Ostromir Gospel is widely known to our contemporaries. The overwhelming majority of Muscovites surveyed (church people, with higher education, not alien to an interest in history) either know nothing at all about the first Russian book, or have the most vague ideas, at best believing that it is something like “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” or "Tales of Bygone Years." But the Ostromir Gospel is a witness to our thousand-year history, a book that has actually, physically been preserved from ancient times to the present day. It connects us with a living thread to the era of the beginning of Russian bookishness, statehood and holiness. Alas, Pushkin’s bitter words: “We are lazy and incurious,” could not be more applicable to our time.
We live in an era of poor historical education, which is being successfully replaced, according to the definition of the famous 20th-century theologian Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov), by a “culture of sin”, aggressively imposed on people. Our people can only be saved from this “culture,” and therefore from inevitable corruption and savagery, by joining the centuries-old culture of Orthodoxy, the basis of which is the Gospel of Christ. “When we look at the Ostromir Gospel, the great reverence that our forefathers felt for their faith becomes obvious. Their efforts were the result of touching the Spirit that lives in the Holy Scriptures, which acts in the Church and really changes human life,” is the opinion of Archbishop Konstantin of Tikhvin, rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and Seminary.
Since the time of their baptism, the Russian people have deeply and soulfully accepted Orthodoxy and the book culture associated with it. The oldest Russian chronicle, “The Tale of Bygone Years,” reports that Prince Vladimir laid the foundation for book education: he himself revered “bookish words” and began to teach the children of the best people. Vladimir’s son, Prince Yaroslav the Wise, who, according to the chronicler, “loved books, reading often both night and day,” gathered “many scribes in Kyiv, and they translated from Greek into Slavic. And they wrote many books, from which believers learn and enjoy the Divine teaching.” The books in The Tale of Bygone Years are called “sources of wisdom”, “rivers that water the entire universe.”
The Ostromir Gospel was created during the era of cultural upsurge and the formation of statehood in Ancient Rus', which followed the adoption of Christianity in 988. On the last page of the manuscript there is an afterword by the scribe, Deacon Gregory. It states that work on the manuscript began on October 21, 1056 and was completed on May 12, 1057. The dates indicated by the scribe, according to most researchers, are not accidental. October 21 is the day of memory of Hilarion the Great. For the scribe's contemporaries, this name was associated with the name of the Kyiv Metropolitan Hilarion - “a man of goodness, a bookish and fasting man,” the author of the famous “Sermon on Law and Grace.” Vladyka Hilarion was a like-minded person and associate of Yaroslav the Wise and played a vital role in the enlightenment of Rus', in the formation of its national identity and in the organization of book writing at the Kiev St. Sophia Cathedral.
The date of completion of work on the manuscript is also significant - May 12. This date connects the Russian book of the 11th century with Byzantium of the 4th century, when Christianity became the state religion in the empire. Constantine the Great, having founded the new capital of Constantinople, dedicated it to the Mother of God. The feast of dedication was celebrated in Byzantium on May 11, 330 (later this day was celebrated as the day of the Renewal of St. Sophia of Constantinople). And on May 12, the first Christian churches in Rus' were consecrated - the Tithe Church (995) and St. Sophia Cathedral (1045) in Kyiv. It is significant that on these same days the memory of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius is celebrated, with whose names the emergence of Slavic writing is associated.
All this leaves historians with no doubt that during the creation of the Ostromir Gospel a deep concept was developed that introduced this book, and with it the ancient Russian state, into the mainstream of world Christian culture. This concept of the unity of Rus' with the entire Christian world is manifested not only in the symbolism of these dates, but permeates all the main elements of the monument: its language, text, decoration.
In the afterword, Deacon Gregory reports that he rewrote the Gospel by order of the Novgorod mayor Ostromir, in the baptism of Joseph, during the reign of the Kyiv prince Izyaslav (1024–1078, son of Yaroslav the Wise). The high position of the customer of the book, Ostromir, a representative of one of the most influential Russian families, is especially emphasized: his grandfather Dobrynya (the epic Dobrynya Nikitich) was the uncle of the holy prince Vladimir the Red Sun and actively participated in the baptism of Rus'. The scribe glorifies the Novgorod mayor and his wife Feofana and prays to God to grant them and their children and their spouses long life. Feofana, undoubtedly, was also a distinguished person: her Greek name speaks of her aristocratic origin. There is an opinion, which, however, is not shared by all historians, that she was the daughter of the Great Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir and the Byzantine Princess Anna, and therefore the sister of the first Russian saints - Princes Boris and Gleb, the half-sister of Grand Duke Yaroslav the Wise and the aunt of Grand Duke Izyaslav , whose confidant was Ostromir.
The Novgorod mayor was not destined to have a long life. Brave and decisive, he soon (around 1060) died in a campaign against the Chud tribe, leading his squad. However, Ostromir's name was forever associated with the book he ordered.
Deacon Gregory does not name the places where he copied the book. It is believed that this could be both Kyiv and Novgorod. Both versions have their scientific supporters. The rich decoration and excellent state of preservation of the ancient codex indicate that it was not intended for daily family use. In terms of the content and structure of the text, the Ostromir Gospel is a short aprakos, that is, it belongs to liturgical books. The main body of the text contains daily Gospel readings from Easter to Pentecost, as well as Saturday and Sunday readings for the following weeks. The second part includes gospel readings for the month, starting in September, as well as a number of additional readings for various occasions (for the consecration of the church, “for the victory of the king in battle,” for the sick, etc.).
Of particular interest is the monthly part of the codex: it contains the memories of saints not only of the Eastern, but also of the Western Church. This gives grounds for a number of researchers to believe that the Ostromir Gospel is perhaps the last liturgical monument that has survived to this day, reflecting the unity of the Christian Church. The reason for the unusual composition of the monthly book is also seen in the features of the protograph - that handwritten book that served as the original for the creation of the Ostromir Gospel. The broad dynastic ties of the Kyiv princely house, which spread throughout the world, are also important. It was no coincidence that Yaroslav the Wise was called the “father-in-law of Europe”: of the 38 marriages of the Rurikovichs in the 11th century, eight cases occurred in Germany, two in France, five in the Scandinavian kingdoms and England, seven in Poland, six in Hungary, three marriages with Polovtsians princesses, one with a Byzantine princess, two with representatives of the Byzantine aristocracy. This largely explains the breadth of cultural orientation and the unique combination of different traditions in the creation of the book.
The Ostromir Gospel was probably intended by the customer as a precious contribution to the St. Sophia Cathedral - the main temple of northwestern Rus', which was erected in 1045–1050. in Veliky Novgorod on the model of Sophia of Kyiv (this temple was founded in 1037).
The belonging of the manuscript to the St. Sophia Cathedral is indirectly confirmed by the entry in 17th century cursive writing on the first page of the book: “Gospel of Sophia aprakos.” The Gospel was used as an altar table and, judging by its condition, for most of its long history it was under especially careful care and remained in the cathedral sacristy - the place where church utensils and vestments are stored.
The perfection of calligraphy and artistic design of the manuscript speaks of the high art of the book of that time. According to the greatest expert on ancient Russian book art N.N. Rozov, “the Russian book from the very beginning of its existence should be considered as a synthesis of verbal and visual art.” In the monuments of ancient writing, one is struck by the amazing harmony, proportionality of all elements of the text and design, and their joyful colorfulness.
The Ostromir Gospel is written on high-quality parchment - specially treated skin of young animals (usually calves). Making thin and smooth parchment required a lot of effort. At first, this expensive material was brought to Rus' from Byzantium. The manuscript is written in a “charter” - a style dating back to the Byzantine uncial letter. It is characterized by special clarity and rigor of the characters. This type of writing requires high scribe skill and considerable time, since each element of the letter is written in a separate movement with the pen being lifted from the parchment.
Initial letters of the Ostromir Gospel
The general design of the Ostromir Gospel, with two-column text, titles in gold, spacious margins and numerous patterns, generally follows the Byzantine tradition. The manuscript is decorated with three miniatures depicting the evangelists John, Luke and Mark. The miniatures of the Ostromir Gospel are executed in two different manners: John and his disciple Prokhor differ from Luke and Mark, who are very similar to each other. Particular attention of researchers is attracted by the unique iconography of the miniature with John the Evangelist. At the top, outside the frame framing this miniature, there is a lion, clearly highlighted by the artist in size and location and differing from the traditional image of the evangelist (usually the lion symbolizes the Evangelist Mark). This image has many meanings: first of all, it is a symbol of Christ himself. Ostromir's Gospel begins with a reading on the first day of Easter, in the hymns of which the risen Christ is compared to an awakened lion. The allegory “lion - Christ” was very popular in Western art, and was also found in Byzantine art, although such an image is absent in other Aprakos Gospels, Greek and Russian. But the lion is also a traditional Byzantine imperial symbol. And this is very consistent with the status of the customer of the manuscript, mayor Ostromir, and his wife Feofana (remember her probable relationship to the Byzantine imperial house). There is also no doubt that the high symbolism emphasizes the national significance of the book itself.
In addition to miniatures, the manuscript is decorated with ornaments for various purposes: colorful headpieces, text dividers and many initials placed on the sheets at the beginning of the readings and having a large size, much larger than is usually the case in Byzantine manuscripts. The patterns of the Ostromir Gospel belong to the so-called “enamel” or “petal” type of ornament: stems and petals of flowers, combined in various combinations and having a thick, dense coloring, similar to enamels. The decor of the book, according to the prominent Byzantine art critic O.S. Popova, even surpasses the Greek codes of that time in brightness and effectiveness.
The initials of the Ostromir Gospel, and there are more than two hundred of them, are the subject of special attention of researchers. Along with the traditional elements of the ornament, there are often completely unusual anthropomorphic images inscribed in the composition of the letters - round and ruddy faces, somewhat reminiscent of the image of the sun or Romanesque stone masks. There is nothing like this in either the Greek or Latin manuscripts. The bizarre zoomorphic initial letters decorating the text are also amazing. The originality of the initials of the Gospel testifies to the deep mastery by its creators of both Eastern and Western traditions of book decoration and an attempt to creatively combine them in the design of the Russian codex.
Initial letters of the Ostromir Gospel
Another rare feature of the manuscript is the presence of ekphonetic signs indicating how the text should sound in a divine service. The reading of the Gospel in the Church was especially solemn, “for all to hear.” It was close to singing and was subject to certain rules borrowed from Byzantine practice. Ekphonetic signs mark accents, length of sounds, determining their melodiousness, and also indicate the division of the text into phrases.
Experts tried to decipher these signs and compared them with the liturgical practice of modern Old Believers, which is particularly conservative. The comparison led to striking results: it showed the identity of phrasing and the coincidence of stops when dividing the text into fragments, that is, the continuity of the singing tradition from the 11th century to the present day.
A major researcher of ancient Russian culture G.M. Prokhorov, in his speech at a conference dedicated to the Ostromir Gospel, defined the current ethnocultural situation as follows: “As an integral historical and cultural phenomenon, Ancient Rus' existed until approximately the end of the 17th century. But has she disappeared? No, she didn't disappear. It was dispersed, scattered throughout our country and throughout the globe. Old Believers are a biophysical remnant of Ancient Rus'. Books from our wonderful manuscript collections are a physical remnant of Ancient Rus'. By studying them, we give life to Ancient Rus' in the noosphere - in our minds.”
Currently, the Ostromir Gospel is in the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg. According to the General Director of the Russian National Library V.N. Zaitsev, “it is symbolic that the first Russian book is now stored in the first state book depository of Russia, opened “for the common benefit” in 1814. The role of libraries in the history of mankind is enormous: if a people does not have books, if there are no written monuments left, then this people itself does not have its own history and is doomed to disappear without a trace in the darkness of centuries.”
Photolithographic edition-copy of the Ostromir Gospel of 1889.
The fate of the unique book is known only in general terms. Probably, for several centuries it was kept in the St. Sophia Cathedral of Veliky Novgorod, then it was taken to Moscow: the Ostromir Gospel was indicated in the inventory of the property of one of the churches of the Moscow Kremlin, compiled in 1701. In 1720, the Ostromir Gospel was sent to the new capital of the Russian Empire - St. Petersburg, where, by order of Peter I, materials for Russian history were collected. Here his traces are lost again. In 1805, the manuscript was discovered by Y.A. Druzhinin, personal secretary of Catherine II, among the property of the late empress, who during her lifetime showed great interest in Russian history. In 1806, Emperor Alexander I transferred the Ostromir Gospel to the Public Library, to the manuscript depot (the current manuscript department of the National Library of Russia). From this moment begins the history of storage and research of a unique monument.
In order to expand access to the study of the monument without damaging the original, the curator of manuscripts of the library A.I. Ermolaev made an exact handwritten copy of it, essentially repeating the work of the ancient Russian scribe. Soon the Ostromir Gospel was used as a historical source by N.M. Karamzin, who used it to clarify the date of death of mayor Ostromir. The study of the monument laid the foundation for Russian paleography, a science that deals with ancient manuscripts. An outstanding paleographer was Ermolaev’s successor as custodian - A.Kh. Vostokov. He owns the first scientific essay on the grammar of the Old Church Slavonic language, entirely based on the study of the language of the Ostromir Gospel. In this work, the sound meaning of two mysterious letters of the old Cyrillic alphabet - large and small yus - is indicated for the first time. Relatively few ancient manuscripts written in Cyrillic use these letters correctly. The Ostromir Gospel is one of them. A comparison of the corresponding words of this manuscript with Polish forms prompted Vostokov to guess that the Old Church Slavonic language had nasal vowels and that yuses served to convey them. In 1843, a scientific edition of the Ostromir Gospel prepared by Vostokov was published, which evoked a lively response from Slavists in many countries. Reviews and reviews of this publication were published in Czech, Bulgarian, Polish and Serbian. In the 80s of the 19th century, at the expense of the merchant Ilya Savinkov, two photolithographic editions of the Ostromir Gospel were undertaken, which opened the monument to all of Russia.
Setting of the Ostromir Gospel
The original binding of the manuscript has not survived. In the middle of the 19th century, according to a sketch by I.I. Gornostaev, a massive, richly decorated frame was made. However, it did not have the best effect on the condition of the parchment sheets. In addition, he attracted the attention of robbers, who in 1932 stole the manuscript from the display case where it was on display. Fortunately, the unlucky kidnappers were only seduced by the impressive salary. Having torn off the binding, they threw the manuscript onto one of the library cabinets, which they admitted to, being caught on the same day. Since then, for better preservation, the precious book has been kept unbound in a special casket made of bog oak and locked in a safe. For the current anniversary, a new depository has been manufactured that meets all modern storage standards.
In 1957, the 900th anniversary of the Ostromir Gospel was solemnly celebrated. By this date, the unique handwritten book had been thoroughly restored. The restoration work, which lasted more than six months, was led by E.Kh. Trey. At the same time, experts put forward the task of facsimile publication of the Ostromir Gospel.
This publication was prepared with the leading participation of N.N. Rozov and the support of the Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate. A facsimile edition of the Ostromir Gospel, equipped with a scientific apparatus, was published in 1988, on the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus', and currently plays the role of the main copy of the monument, providing access to it to a wide range of researchers and readers without resorting to the priceless original.
Just like 50 years ago, the current anniversary celebrations are accompanied by exhibitions at the National Library of Russia. A virtual exhibition “The Ostromir Gospel and the Handwritten Tradition of New Testament Texts” has been launched on the library’s website, which contains a full information disclosure of the Ostromir Gospel as a monument of world culture and allows you to get acquainted with outstanding examples of manuscripts stored in the National Library.
The anniversary of the oldest Russian book aroused keen interest in the scientific world. Many questions about the history of the writing and existence of the monument (the identity of the scribe Deacon Gregory and his assistants, the place of creation of the manuscript, the question of the protograph and its relationship to the most ancient Slavic translations, the history of the monument before its placement in the manuscript department, etc.) still remain open and await their researchers . But the main thing that all participants in the anniversary celebrations felt was the enormous significance of the Ostromir Gospel for our people. According to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', “today we are all responsible for the fate of the Fatherland, for its present and future, which is largely determined by the attitude of the people to their spiritual roots and cultural traditions.”
“The enormous scientific potential that has been accumulated by scientists must be popularized,” says Professor I.V. Pavlov. “Ahead lies a new ministry of Ostromir’s Gospel to the Russian state, the Russian Orthodox Church, and the people of Russia.”
Literary features
The Ostromir Gospel is a monument of Slavic writing. It provides information about the development of the Old Russian language and its connection with other languages of the Slavic branch.
Idea and essence
The Gospel is a monument of religious literature, which reflects the traditions of the united Christian Church that existed before its division into eastern and western branches. This feature was due to the rewriting of the Holy text from an earlier source.
The Gospel refers to the liturgical type of books of Holy Scripture
Some researchers consider Ostromir's protograph to be the Novgorod Gospels, the writing of which dates back to the end of the 10th century.
Genre
The book, created at the expense of the mayor Ostromir, is a short version of the Gospel, which is called aprakos. It is a collection of texts read during services. The Holy Scriptures in the form of a collection of weekly and daily readings are characteristic of Byzantine book literature.
Structure
The book has three distinct parts:
- Gospel readings read during daily services, starting from Easter until the day of the Holy Trinity (Pentecost).
- Gospel readings according to the month, which began with the Slavic New Year in September. This part also includes texts intended for special occasions.
- Afterword by Deacon Gregory, which contains the ideological concept of the young state of the Eastern Slavs. The author draws a line of succession from Byzantium to Kievan Rus.
The structure of the text of the book corresponds to the tradition that existed before the church schism of 1054.
Peculiarities
The Ostromir Gospel is a unique monument not only of church literature and music. Throughout the text of the book there are ekphonetic signs that indicate the tone and tempo of the pronunciation of words during reading. After analyzing these marks, the researchers concluded that gospel song traditions have remained virtually unchanged for more than 1,000 years.
Notes
- The so-called Novgorod Codex, dating back to an earlier date (the beginning of the 11th century), is not a handwritten book (“codex” in the paleographic sense), but 4 waxed tablets that performed the applied function of a draft. See about this: [www.ruslang.ru/doc/rjano08.pdf Alekseev A. A.
About Novgorod waxed tablets of the early 11th century] // Russian language in scientific coverage. — No. 2 (8), 2004, p. p.207-208. - [www.nlr.ru/exib/Gospel/ostr/descript.html Ostromir Gospel. Description of the manuscript]
- According to the hypothesis of Andrzej Poppe, the wife of Ostromir Feofan mentioned in the inscription could be the daughter of Vladimir Svyatoslavich and Anna of Byzantium
- [www.ricur.ru/userfiles/file/kirillitza2011.pdf Ulyanov O.G. The origin of the Ostromir Gospel: towards the reconstruction of the most ancient Charter in Rus' // Cyrillic. From its origins to the present day. St. Petersburg, 2011. pp. 164-195]
Links
Others Novgorod Codex • Arkhangelsk Gospel • Turov Gospel • Bychkovskaya (Sinai) Psalter • Chudovskaya Psalter • Evgenievskaya Psalter • Slutsk Psalter • Novgorod Menaion • Putyatin Menaion • Dubrovsky Menaion • Chrysostomy • Pandects of Antiochus • 13 Words of Gregory the Theologian • Sinai Patericon • Ilya's Book 12th century Others Annunciation Kondakar • Vygoleksinsky collection • Museum Gospel • Polotsk Gospel • Typographical Gospel • Tolstoy Psalter • Pogodinskaya Explanatory Psalter • Christinopolis Apostle • Milatino Gospel • Folio-13 • Assumption Collection See also Russian icons of the 12th century • Old Russian manuscripts of the 13th-15th centuries
