"Employee" 1646 year

Ancient prints-anniversaries.

375 years “Service book” from the printing house of Mykhailo Slozka

In the collection of the Chernihiv Historical Museum named after VV. Tarnowski has a unique collection of Cyrillic old prints, which is currently accruing 271 unit. The collection is based on publications, which were stored in the Museum of Ukrainian Antiquities named after VV. Tarnovsky, Chernihiv diocesan wood storage, libraries and museums of the Chernihiv Provincial Scientific Archival Commission. Some old prints came to the museum collection from other museums, churches and monasteries of the region, were transferred by individuals and collectors.

Preserved monuments of printing are characterized by sophisticated design. They are decorated with beautiful fonts, engravings made by famous masters, screensavers, limbs, initials, gerbami. In the anniversary year for our museum, some of them also celebrate their important dates.

The vast majority of old prints in the collection are liturgical books. В Чернігівському історичному музеї імені В.В. Tarnowski stored "Servant" (Інв. № AL-674) issued 23 August 1646 year in Lviv. "Servant" is used by clergy, it contains liturgical texts, proclaimed by them during worship or read in secret. This book was published in the printing house of a talented printer of the XVII century. Mykhailo Slozka at the request of Bishop Halytsky, Arseniy Zheliborsky of Lviv and Kamyanets-Podilsky (1641–1663).

Although, that the name of the publisher is widely known, reliable data on the period of the master's life before his move to Lviv have not been preserved. It is unknown where and when he was born. According to some reports, he is a native of the city of Novogrudok, that in Belarus, for others from Vilnius. Arriving in Lviv in the late 20s of the XVII century. Mykhailo Slozka got a job in the printing house of the Assumption Stauropean Brotherhood. In 1633 he was accepted as a member of the Brotherhood and soon a young skilled printer was assigned to manage the fraternal printing house..

Having decided to open his own publishing house later, Slozka bought printing equipment from the heirs of the Polish book printer Jan Sheliga., who died in 1636 year in Lviv. His first edition is dated 8 June 1639 year, when the "Apostle" came out of the printing house, - "the vegetable of my first printing house", as he himself called Tears.

He was able to reach an agreement with the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Lviv Stanislav Grohovsky, that will print books to his order. The last of his letters from 5 August 1638 allowed Slozka to call himself an archbishop's printer. At the end of the same year, а саме 30 December, the publisher received the royal privilege of publishing books in Church Slavonic and Ukrainian. The following year, Slozka also received a diploma from Patriarch Cyril II of Constantinople. (with signatures 12 metropolitans) and Metropolitan of Kyiv Petro Mohyla. Orthodox Bishop of Lviv Jeremiah Tisarovsky also gave his blessing to the publishing business. (1607–1641).

It should be noted, that the 40s of the XVII century. characterized by the active development of book printing in Lviv. In addition to the above, the printing house of the Jesuit College and Bishop Arseniy Zheliborsky worked in the city at St. George's Cathedral.. That is, The customer of the Sluzhebnik printing house in the Slozka printing house also had its own printing house. Однак, obviously its production capacity was not enough for the rapid implementation of the planned publishing of books, therefore, Bishop Arseniy ordered two books from Mykhailo Slozka - "Nomocanon" and "Servant". In the preface to the last the bishop notes, that in his printing house “at the same proper time, the robot was robbed, that is, the Short Assembly on the Articles of Faith Orthodox Catholic ».

Важливо, that the books published by Slozka were reprints of the Kyiv-Pechersk printing house, which caused significant damage to the latter. Such actions of the Lviv master violated aspects of the professional ethics of printers and went against the blessing indicated in the letter of Metropolitan Peter Mohyla., that Mr. Slozka "will have to send copies to read" of his publications for approbation and proofreading in Kyiv. Learning about the preparation for publication of "Nomocanon" and "Servant" 5 May 1646 year, the Metropolitan wrote a letter to Tears urging not to make "any obstacles". Of course, that the Lavra printers made a lot of effort and spent money on the publication of "Servants", which at that time had not yet been sold out. The Metropolitan notes in the letter, that "those books, which we have in stock very many, special Servants, from our copy to the obstacle print ».

Probably Mykhailo Slozka understood the illegality of his actions, after all, when another Lviv printer Andriy Skolsky published "Alphabet", that was previously published by Slozka, he appealed against it to the royal court, pointing, that he violated the privilege of prohibition during 20 years to reprint his edition. However, in the case of the publication of the Nomocanon and the Servant, Mykhailo Slozko disobeyed the Metropolitan of Kyiv and still issued the first 12 August, and the other 23 August 1646 year (date from the preface of Bishop Arseniy).

The print is made in two colors. "Servant" is decorated with screensavers, initials and endings, engravings of the famous woodcut monk Elijah, which worked for 30-60 years of the XVII century. in Lviv and Kyiv. At first he was a monk of the Lviv St. Onuphrius Monastery, in 1636 year at the invitation of Metropolitan Peter moved to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

Sheets № 5–12 have an entry: "This book of the verb" Service Book "was bought by a faithful husband in the name of Simeon, son Gritsukov [in the village] Dorogoshkov Malom, the lack of her mercy of Panya Krakowski to save her, nd absolution, to whom the Lord be merciful ".

Frame of the XVIII century. - cardboard, covered with leather. The size of the book is 17.3x14 cm. Previously stored in the Chernihiv diocesan wood storage. During the Second World War, along with other exhibits, she was evacuated to Ufa.

Researcher,

Candidate of Theology Miroslav May-Boroda