Missione a Novgorod (2010)

The Florian Psalter is a trilingual manuscript psalter, written between late 14th and early 15th centuries (probably between ca 1395-ca 1405) Its author, first owners, and place of origin are still not certain. It was named after St. Florian Monastery in Sankt Florian (Austria) where it was discovered in 1827. The manuscript is currently kept at the National Library in Warsaw. The manuscript consists of a trilingual translation of the psalms into Latin, Polish and German. The Polish text is the oldest known translation of the Book of Psalms into that language. It also contains musical score for canticles. Every parchment is magnificently decorated and illustrated with astrological and Christian symbology. https://polona.pl/item/52212659/113/

Alcune immagini relative a reperti cumani di provenienza varia (secc. XI-XIII)

Il ritorno della sposa al rod

The region around Kargopol was known for its salt wealth, which funded the construction of the town’s unique white stone churches. Among the many treasures of the historic Russian north, one of the richest is the town of Kargopol, located in the southwestern part of Arkhangelsk Region. Despite the town’s small size (current population 10,000), the majestic beauty of its central cathedral ensemble is testimony to its importance in bygone times. To this day there is disagreement on when Kargopol was founded and what its name means. Yet it is considered to be one of the oldest northern settlements, founded perhaps as early as the 11th century.. The earliest historical reference to Kargopol is a mention of its Prince Gleb, who fought under Grand Prince Dmitrii during Moscow’s victorious struggle against the Mongols in 1380. Subsequent references to the town occur sparsely in mid-15th century documents. The town's oldest, and most important, architectural monument, the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ, begun in 1552 and completed 10 years later.

Photo Gallery http://rbth.co.uk/articles/2011/10/27/vologdas_cathedral_of_divine_wisdom_the_last_of_its_kind_13617.html

Bestiary: a series of miniatures representing beasts and creatures from the slavic focklore and brief descriptions of their origin and symbolic meaning. http://blog.polona.pl/2016/04/bestiariusz-miedzy-wierszami/

Piotrków, 1563: The Polish king Zygmunt August issued a judgment in the dispute between Armenians and the authorities of the city of Lviv , resolving issues concerning the powers of authorities municipal administrative and judicial proceedings in relation to the rights and privileges granted by the Armenian King Sigismund the Old. https://polona.pl/

Czerwińsk ,1438 : Władysław and Bolesław princes of Mazovia and Stanislaus Bishop establish arbitrators to resolve mutual disputes. https://polona.pl/

Brno, 1372: Wenceslaus King of Bohemia , Margrave of Brandenburg and Duke of Silesia agree that after the death of John the Younger Duke of Auschwitz , if he dies without heirs, the Duchy of Auschwitz , as a fief of the Czech crown , would be passed on Premysl Duke of Cieszyn https://polona.pl/

Latin manuscript written in 1439 and illuminated in the monastery of the Augustinian hermits in Kazimierz near Cracow . Currently kept at the Biblioteka Naradowa (Warsaw). https://polona.pl/item/11498800/4/

Catalogus archiepiscoporum Gnesnensium is an Illuminated manuscript written in Latin in the 16th century (ca 1531-1535 ) . It is one of the most important work of the polish literature, given its historical and aesthetic value. Its creation is associated with the activity of three important figures in the history of the Church - the chronicler Jan Długosz , Tomickim Piotr , Bishop of Krakow , diplomat and politician , a famous patron of the arts , as well as outstanding Renaissance illuminator Stanisławem Samostrzelnikiem, monk of a Cistercian Abbey near Krakow, who recreated the solemn images of bishops in pontifical robes , their patron saints , but also landscapes and plant ornamental fringes. The Code presents profiles of Gniezno archbishops and bishops of Krakow, information on their families , business and churches. https://polona.pl/item/36618320/8/

The Tyniec Sacramentary (Sacramentarium Tinecense), which is currently stored at the National Library in Warsaw, is one of the oldest liturgic manuscripts of the Christian tradition. Written in Cologne around the 1060-1070 a.d , it was probably brought to Tyniec around 1072. The manuscript, which consists of preyers of the sacrament of the Eucharist, contains more than 200 parchments preciusly decorated - gold and silver letters placed on a royal purple parchment. The magnificent codice is one of the most precious surviving artefacts of the Ottonian manuscript painting school. https://polona.pl/item/6825768/38/

The town of Zvenigorod, some 19 miles due west of Moscow, is one of the area’s most picturesque area, and at the center there is the St. Savva-Storozhevsky Monastery. Although the earliest written reference to Zvenigorod does not occur until 1339, it is possible that a settlement existed there as early as the reign of Yury Dolgoruky (1090s-1157), who is considered Moscow’s founding prince.

The destruction of Ryazan in the 13th centuries produced one of Russia’s few epics, but the city was rebuilt and boasts a number of historic monuments. Among the ancient cities of the Russian heartland, few have endured a more turbulent history than Ryazan. Already an important town in the 11th century, Ryazan was completely devastated by the Mongols in 1237 and eventually revived at another location nearby. Today, Ryazan is a growing city with a population of over half a million, conveniently located 110 miles to the south of Moscow. Among its several distinctions, Ryazan serves as a major administrative center of the Russian Orthodox Church. Indeed, the Ryazan kremlin has one of the most imposing cathedrals in all Russia.

This holy site in Moscow’s southeast factored heavily in the early years of Russia’s best-known dynasty. Nestled in a small hill downriver from the Kremlin, the Novospassky (New Savior) Monastery is one of the oldest religious institutions in Moscow. As is the case with the city's other monasteries, the spiritual and political are intertwined in Novospassky’s history. By some accounts, the monastery was established in the 1150s by the founder of Moscow, Prince Yury Dolgoruky. At that time, it was located south of the Moscow River on the site of what is now the Danilov Monastery. In the early 14th century, the Savior Monastery was reestablished inside the Kremlin by Grand Prince Ivan Kalita. Its main church, Savior in the Forest, was Moscow's oldest surviving structure until it was destroyed in the Soviet reconstruction of the Kremlin in the 1930s.

The Golden Ring town of Pereslavl-Zalessky boasts a number of notable frescoes in its monastic complexes. Although less well known today than Vladimir, Suzdal or Novgorod, the town of Pereslavl-Zalessky was one of the most significant centers of medieval Russian culture. Indeed, its Trinity-Danilov Monastery contains one of most impressive examples of medieval Russian fresco art--all the more remarkable for depicting apocalyptic scenes of destruction and damnation. Founded in 1152 by Prince Yury Dolgoruky ("the long-armed"), Pereslavl-Zalessky was strategically located on major routes from the interior of medieval Rus to the Volga River and the White Sea. Its center was marked by the ancient limestone Cathedral of the Transfiguration and a fortified area with a high earthen rampart – both of which still stand today. The numerous monasteries of Pereslavl-Zalessky, located in the town and overlooking nearby Lake Pleshcheevo, were particularly important in the political and spiritual life of the Muscovite state. Among the oldest are the Monastery of St. Nicetas (Nikita), located on high ground to the north of Lake Pleshcheevo; and the Goritsky Monastery, overlooking the lake to the south.

Two remote villages in the Russian North are home to some of the country’s best preserved log churches. Two very distinctive examples are located at opposite ends of the port of Arkhangelsk: the Church of St. Nicholas at the village of Liavlia, on the high right bank of the Northern Dvina; and the Church of the Intercession at the village of Zaostrovye, located among the islands of the extended Dvina River delta to the northwest. The village of Liavlia is situated near the confluence of the small Liavlia River with the Dvina. Because of persistent erosion of the riverbanks, the inhabitants of Liavlia eventually retreated to the neighboring village of Khorkovo, which serves as the alternative official name of the settlement. Fortunately, the local Orthodox churches were built on an elevated, unassailable location, which has contributed to their preservation. Liavlia boasts one of the oldest log structures in the Russian North. Thanks to its ancient trading ties to the medieval commercial city of Novgorod, Liavlia became the site of a monastery dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin in the 14th century.