Francysk Skaryna

A native of ancient Polotsk, an outstanding philosopher, educator, humanist, writer, scientist of the Renaissance, Francis Skaryna went down in history as the "father" of Eastern European book publishing: it was he who in 1517 first published the Bible in the Old Belarusian language for the "people of the Commonwealth for good learning".

Francis Skaryna – "the son of the glorious city of Polack"

Francis Skaryna was born around 1490 in the family of merchant Luke (Lukian) in the city of Polotsk, which at that time was one of the largest political and cultural centers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

The young Francis received his primary education at his parents' home, where he learned the basics of reading and writing, and then studied Latin at the school at the Polotsk Bernardine Monastery, founded in 1498 on the initiative of Grand Duke Alexander Jagiellon.

In 1504, the "son from the glorious city of Polack" entered one of the best European universities of that time – Krakow - at the faculty of "free arts" and two years later received his first academic degree - Bachelor of Philosophy.

During his student years, among Francis' hobbies was medicine: according to biographers, a few years later he received a master's degree at his alma mater, and in 1512 he brilliantly passed the external examination of a doctor of medicine at the University of Padua.

There were legends about the natural talent and diligence of the young scientist, and in the assembly records it is noted that "the son of Mr. Luka Skarina from Polotsk showed himself commendably and excellently." And today the portrait of the Belarusian doctor can be found in the university gallery among other graduates, eminent scientists from different European countries.

According to one version, in 1512-1516, Francis Skorina served as a personal physician and secretary to the son of the Lithuanian King Sigismund I the Old - Prince Jan, whom he met while studying at the University of Bologna.

The origins of printing: the first Bible in the Old Belarusian language

Francis Skaryna began his publishing activity in Prague, where, with the support of merchants and patrons from Polotsk and Vilna, he founded a printing house, and in 1517 published The Psalter translated into Old Belarusian, which became the first publication in the history of national and East Slavic printing.

In total, over the course of two years, 23 books of the Bible were published in the Prague printing house, which were accompanied by illustrations (woodcuts, initials and screensavers), as well as author's prefaces and comments in which Francis Skaryna shared his educational ideas and views with readers.

In the early 1520s, Francis Skaryna moved to Vilna and opened the first printing house on the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was here that the "Little Travel Book" was published, supplemented with acrostics and a calendar of solar and lunar eclipses, and the "Apostle", telling about the deeds and messages of the closest disciples of Christ.

The "Small Travel Book" was intended for travelers and included 18 church books, which included "Psalter", "Chasoslovets", "Shestidnevich" and "Sobornik", as well as akathists and canons ... Unique small-format editions were decorated with engravings, screensavers and initials, and nine of them were accompanied by afterwords.

The book heritage of Francis Skaryna

Thanks to the educator and first printer Francis Skorina, the Belarusian national book publishing has enriched not only European, but also global culture. Renaissance editions of the famous Polochanin highlighted the high quality of printing, characteristic artistic, engraving and ornamental decorations, fonts and other components of publishing aesthetics and craftsmanship.

One of the main features of all Skaryna's books was the author's comments, which helped the "Polish-Lithuanian" people to better understand the content, to comprehend the meaning of the events captured in the books of Holy Scripture.

In the eloquent prefaces reflecting the humanistic ideals and worldview of Francysk Skaryna, signs of other literary genres are traced, which were later continued in Belarusian literature and writing.

The books of Francis Skaryna were distributed in numerous handwritten copies, and in fact not only influenced the development of the spiritual culture of the Belarusian lands, but also of the entire Grand Duchy of Lithuania, other East Slavic countries, stimulated the emergence of printing in the Moscow state.

The last years of the life of Francis Skaryna: travel and medical practice

Francis Skaryna devoted the last years of his life to medical practice. In the 1520s - 30s, he served as a physician and secretary to Bishop John of Vilna, and already in 1529, at the invitation of the Prussian Duke Albrecht Hohenzollern, he visited Konigsberg, where an epidemic broke out.

In the mid-1530s, Francis Skaryna, already known at the Czech court for his participation in the diplomatic mission of Zhigimont I, accepted a tempting offer from King Ferdinand I and became a court physician and gardener in a luxurious botanical garden framing the majestic Hradcany Castle.

Francis Skaryna died around 1551, but the exact date of death and the place of burial are unknown. His son Simeon in 1552 received a vaccination from the Czech king Ferdinand I for the right to inherit the property of the late doctor "Francis Rus" from Polotsk.