Page from the Peresopnytsia Gospel, an illuminated manuscript of the four Gospels of the New Testament that is considered a significant cultural artifact of Ukraine.
Genre:Religious paintingPlace: Creation: The manuscript was written and illuminated between 1556 and 1561 in the Bernardine Monastery in Iziaslav and the Monastery of the Mother of God in Peresopnytsia, which are both in modern-day Ukraine. The scribe was Mykhailo Vasylovych, and the archimandrite Hryhorii was the director of the project. Some scholars believe the illuminations were the work of Fedusko of Sambir.
Significance: It is the first known translation of the canonical text of the Gospels into the vernacular Ruthenian (Old Ukrainian) language. The manuscript is a symbol of the Ukrainian nation.
Symbol of Statehood: Since the early 1990s, every Ukrainian president has taken the oath of office on the Peresopnytsia Gospel during their inauguration ceremony.
Current Location: The manuscript is preserved at the National Library of Ukraine in Kyiv. Original: Public domain