Rare books and artifacts from the collection of historian Vladimir Likhodedov transferred to museums and the BOC

The presentation of part of the personal collection of historian and member of the Union of Writers of Belarus Vladimir Lihodedov, which he transfers to state organizations and the Belarusian Orthodox Church, was held at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus on September 29. Details - in the material of the correspondent of the agency "Minsk-Novosti".

In several halls of the NAS Presidium building there are more than 1 thousand exhibits. These are monuments of the history and culture of the Belarusian people, which were lost during the First World War, the Great Patriotic War and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Among them are periodicals of the 1920s-1930s, published in Western Belarus, as well as more than 200 books with stamps of libraries until 1939 from this region, which was then part of Poland.

Among the rarities of the exhibition is a cutting engraving on zinc of the XV-XVI centuries with the identification mark of one of the greatest masters of the Western European Renaissance, the German painter Albrecht Dürer. The stands in the NAS also present paintings, lithographs and engravings of the XVIII – early XX centuries, plans of Belarusian cities approved in 1778 and 1817, a graphic series of the famous painting cycle of the artist Vasily Vereshchagin “1812th year” (or “Napoleon I in Russia”), religious objects, printed publications of the XVII – early XX centuries, etc.

All exhibits shown at the exhibition will be transferred to the National Academy of Sciences, the Minsk Theological Academy and the Kuteinsky Monastery of the BOC, the National Museum and the National Library of Belarus, the Center for Patriotic Education of the International University “MITSO” and for the projects “Old City” and “Partisan Camp” of the Grodno Regional Executive Committee.

“The work of a collector is work for the people, for the memory of future generations,” Metropolitan Benjamin of Minsk and Zaslavsky, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, noted in his speech. Unfortunately, many monuments of history and culture of Belarus were lost. But often through private gatherings they are preserved for posterity. At the same time, historical events presented by authentic exhibits make the strongest impression on a person and give him the opportunity to compare modernity with the life of our ancestors and assess the path trodden by our people during this time.

According to Vladyka Veniamin, the current exhibition is not only a noble gift of V. Lihodedov, but also a symbolic example for other owners of private collections to make exhibits from their collections available to the public.

Welcoming words were also made by Chairman of the Presidium of the NAS of Belarus Vladimir Karanik and Minister of Culture Marat Markov.

The opening of the exhibition was also attended by representatives of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Belarus, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Information, the National Academy of Sciences.

For reference

Historian and researcher V. Likhodedov is the author of 56 books-albums on the history of Belarus and the author of the project “Batskaшshchyna – in search of the lost”, the winner of the Presidential Prize “For Spiritual Revival” and the Union State Prize in literature and art.

Photo by Alexander Morunov