Printing house in the 16th c. Illustration from: Paulus Pater. De Germaniae miraculo... Prostat Lipsiae: apud acquittal. In 1532, he received the privilege of the ania, who spoke and wrote in the distinctive Eastern Jo. Frider. Gleditsch et lium, 1710. Wróblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, XVIII/1908. King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Sigis- Slavonic language that dates back to Kievan Rus’. Until mund I the Old, which liberated him from any ju- the end of the 17th c., the Ruthenian language was used risdiction in the Kingdom and the Duchy and ex- in o cial writings in its original, almost unchanged, empted him from any duties to any city in which form. Spoken Ruthenian undergone more changes he may live. Nevertheless, Skaryna did not exer- after the Union of Lublin. With part of the Ruthenian cise these rights. He abandoned the property he lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania falling under the Lithuanian had in Polotsk and Vilnius, took his children and rule of Poland, the Ukrainian language started to form moved to Prague. Here, he became a gardener for in the southern parts of the former Duchy, the Belaru- Collector Ferdinand I, King of Bohemia and Hungary and fu- sian language – in the northern lands. ture Holy Roman Emperor. In Prague, he also prac- Skaryna’s Ruthenian Bible is a remarkable book of Coins tised medicine. Skaryna died sometime between special importance. Since ancient times the Holy Bible, Ferdinand I, King of Bohemia and Hungary. 1541 and 1552. One of his sons, Francysk, died in the fundamental text of the Christian culture, had been Author Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen. 1530. Illustration his teens during the re that devastated Prague from the original: Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, translated into the spoken languages of many Europe- th sign. GG 4059. in 1541. His other son, Simeon, remained in Bohe- an nations. In the 4 c., it was translated into the Goth- th mia and followed his father’s footsteps, working ic language by Bishop Wul la. In the 9 c., Saints Cyril Blessed Virgin Mary with Jesus Christ and as a doctor and a gardener. To this day Skaryna’s descendants still live in the Czech and Methodius translated the Bible into the Slavonic angels. Illustration from: Малая подорожная COIN DEDICATED TO THE 500TH ANNIVERSARY Republic. language. In the middle of the 11th c., the Genesis and книжка. Vilnius, around 1522. Royal Library of Denmark. 500 years ago in Prague, starting with separate books, Skaryna began publish- Exodus books were translated into Old English; in 1382 OF FRANCYSK SKARYNA’S RUTHENIAN BIBLE ing the Holy Scripture – the Ruthenian Bible – which he chose to translate into the the Bible in its entirety was translated into Middle English by John Wycli e. The Holy Bi- Denomination: €20 th Church Slavonic language. This work by the Ruthenian originating from Polotsk not ble was translated into the Castillian (Spanish) and French languages in the 13 c. In the Composition: Silver Ag 925 th only opened a new particularly 14 c., it was translated into Czech, Quality: proof important page in the Rutheni- Dutch and Norwegian (part of the Old Diameter (mm): 38.61 th an literature of the Grand Duchy Testament), in the 15 c. – into Danish Weight (g): 28.28 of Lithuania, but also proved that and Polish. In 1471, a Camaldolese The edge of the coin bears an inscription repeated three times: Skaryna, as a Renaissance man, monk Niccolo Malermi translated the PRAHA 1517 (PRAGUE 1517) and his homeland, the multilingual Bible into the Italian language. In this Designed by Rolandas Rimkūnas and multinational Grand Duchy of collection of translations, Skaryna’s Mintage: 3,000 pcs Lithuania, were more than ready Ruthenian Bible takes a highly respect- Issued in 2017 to welcome cultural innovations. able place. It is one of the rst Holy Bi- It also uncovered the roads and ble texts rendered in local rather than Information at the Bank of Lithuania spaces through which the said in- the original biblical (Hebrew, Ancient Phone: +370 5 268 0316 novations reached him, his envi- Greek and Latin) languages. After its Email: [email protected] ronment, and his homeland. emergence and, in a way, due to its www.lb.lt Skaryna named the Bible the emergence, three other translations Ruthenian Bible for one main rea- were soon prepared in Lithuania and son: he dedicated its translation to Prussia: two Polish translations (one The coin was minted at the Lithuanian Mint his fellow-countrymen, the Ruthe- of which was printed in Brest-Litovsk www.lithuanian-mint.lt nians of the Grand Duchy of Lithu- in 1563, another – in Nesvizh in 1572) Lithuanian Collector Coins and one Lithuanian translation (pre- © Lietuvos bankas, 2017 Coins photographed by Arūnas Baltėnas The end of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians pared by Jonas Bretkūnas in 1579– Designed by Liudas Parulskis and the beginning of the Epistle of St. Paul to the 1590, although unprinted). Ephesians. Illustrations from: Апостол... Vilnius, 1525. COIN DEDICATED TO THE 500TH Vilnius University Library, Rk 298. On the cover: Image of a translator. Illustration from: Бивлия Руска. Prague, 1517–1519. Upper Lusatian Library of ANNIVERSARY OF FRANCYSK SKARYNA’S Dr Sigitas Narbutas Sciences in Görlitz, A II 4° 26 RUTHENIAN BIBLE Published by the Bank of Lithuania, Gedimino pr. 6, LT-01103 Vilnius Printed by INDIGO print, www.indigoprint.lt Architekto Evaldo Zulono projekto piešinys. 1993 m. Vilnius in the 16th c. Illustration from: Georgius Bruin. Civitates orbis terrarum, [Köln: s. n., s. a.]. Wróblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, K727-1. The 500th Anniversary of Francysk Skaryna’s Padua in the 16th c. Illustration from: Sebastian Münster. Ruthenian Bible Cosmographiae... Basileae: apud Henrichum Petri, 1552. Wró- blewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, K2-174. The year 2017 marks an important celebration for Lithuania and its neighbouring coun- th tries, namely, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia and Ukraine – the 500 anni- Kraków around 1536. Illustration from a manuscript: Reisealbum des Pfalzgrafen Ottheinrich. Würzburg University Library, Delin. VI, 9, 49. versary of Francysk Skaryna’s Ruthenian Bible printed in Prague. The publication brought Skaryna eternal fame as the rst Eastern Slav publisher, translator, educator and human- named Luka; Francysk also had an older brother Ivan. No one knows exactly where ist, earning his homeland – the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – a place among the then rather Francysk completed his primary education. Maybe in Polotsk or Vilnius. After reach- small group of European countries that had a printed Bible. ing adulthood, Francysk adopted the Catholic faith – this opened the door for him to Yet what do we exactly know about this prominent gure? Francysk Skaryna was born European scholastic centres. In 1504, Skaryna became a student of Kraków University, in Polotsk, one of the most important trade centres of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The which he graduated in 1506 with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts. Yet this did not satisfy his exact date of Skaryna’s birth is unknown – it is believed to be around 1490 (between 1482 insatiable thirst for knowledge. He obtained a Master’s and a Doctoral Degree in Liberal and 1487 based on the assumed start of his studies). Skaryna’s father was a rich merchant Arts in Kraków or some other European university. This is evidenced by the fact that he Vilnius city councillor Bogdan Onkov and, most probably, Francysk’s brother Ivan arrived in Padua, where he passed his exams to receive a Doctorate in Medicine – this and other Vilnius merchants. Polotsk in the 16th c. Illustration from: Warhaff te Contrafactur und gewiße Zeitung... Nuremberg, 1579–1601. National Museum in Kraków. could only be achieved by a person who already had a Doctorate in Liberal Arts. In 1519 or slightly later, Skaryna concluded publishing books in Prague and Princes Czartoryski Museum, XV-R. 6913. In 1512–1517, Skaryna worked on the translation of the Bible as well as organised moved to Vilnius. Here, in the house of the city’s chief burgomaster Jakub Babich, printing works: took care of the premises and equipment of the printing house, recruit- he published ‘Little Traveller’s Book’ (1522) and ‘Apostle’ (1525). These literary works ed typesetters, engravers of illustrations, printers and other necessary craftsmen. From earned him fame as the printing pioneer in Lithuania. 1517 to 1519, he published 23 biblical books in Prague, adding to each of them a pref- While living in Vilnius, Skaryna started a fam- ace and concluding remarks. In his texts, Skaryna used simple language to explain how ily: married Margarita, the widow of the city’s to read the Bible, relayed what was written in its constituent books and their usefulness, councillor Yury Odvernik, and raised two sons invited to follow virtues and good traditions, encouraged the readers to seek knowl- – the elder Simeon and the younger Francysk. edge and wisdom, as well as brie y introduced the creators of the biblical books, their In 1530, he visited Prussia, which at that time language and underlying themes. Publication of the books in Prague was funded by was ravaged by the so-called English sweating. By treating its patients, Francysk earned the fa- vour of the Prussian duke Albrecht. The turn of 1530s was marked by several misfortunes that forced Skaryna to once again seek a better life abroad. In 1529, his brother Ivan passed away. Slightly later, his wife Mar- garita also perished. During the re in Vilnius in 1530, the printing house burned down. In 1532, Sigismund I the Old, King of Poland and Grand Skaryna had to face the court on account of his Duke of Lithuania.