About the project

A great number of manuscripts were created during the times of Kievan Rus’. Unfortunately, not more than 1% of that outstanding heritage of Kievan Rus, which was made in the princely scriptoriums, has remained.That is why every preserved manuscript is not only the precious historical source, but also a real masterpiece of Ukrainian medieval culture. Sadly, the major part of Ukrainian medieval manuscripts is far from the centers in which they were created. These manuscripts are the gems of the book collections in Russia, Belarus, Poland, Austria, Italy, France and other countries. They are carefully preserved and displayed as museum exhibits in the show-cases of the world’s cultural treasures. Some of them are kept in the museum or manuscript collections and are inaccessible to researchers or other people who are interested in the history of Ukrainian manuscripts.

In 2009, the Gorobets Publishers started off the project which is called “Returning the Cultural Heritage to Ukraine”.

Its target is to return, in the form of facsimile-copies, the ancient manuscripts that were created in the territory of Ukraine-Rus, but the fate would have had it, they had been scattered to the four winds. Each manuscript had its own way: some were given as a wedding dowry, some were taken by the conquerors, while others became valuable gifts.

Facsimile copies published within the project:

1. The Lutsk Gospel,14th century (original in Moscow)
2. The Lutsk Psalter, 1384 (original in Florence, Italy)
3. The Chelm Gospel, 13th century (original in Moscow)
4. The Lauryshava Gospel, 14th century (original in Krakow, Poland)
5. The Reims Gospel (original in Rheims, France)
6. The Vienna Octoechos,13th century (original in Vienna, Austria)

In 2021 we plan to return to Ukraine:

1. Gertrude Psalter, 10-11th century (original is in Cividale, Italy)
2. Prince Vladimir Psalter, 14th century (original is in New York, USA)