Yeltsin Presidential Library Fund as a source for the Orthodox history and culture research

Among the top-priority tasks set by Eltsin Presidential Library we can define the next ones: to satisfy informational need required by the state and society, to conserve historical and cultural heritage, to provide free and equal access to information and cultural values, to popularize the Russian history, to instil political and law culture, to strengthen civil consciousness and patriotism feelings. Below we present collections of the Presidential library devoted to the orthodox history and culture as an important part of Russian spiritual heritage. "History of Russian orthodox church" (12 storages units) collection introduces us fundamental works written by church leaders and chronologists in the XIX th - beginning of XX th centuries, and these researches are still of the current interest. There are the works of archbishop Philaret (Gu-milevsky), metropolitan Macarius (Bulgakov), E. Golubinsky, P. Znamensky, A. Kartashev. "Orthodox Russia. Monkeries and icons" (33 storage unites) includes publications about Tver, Tambov, Ryazan, Yaroslavl, Zvenigorod, Kostroma, Ekaterinburg, Kazan monasteries and the most venerated icons of Vladimir, Kursk, Nizhny Novgorod eparchies. Here in the Fund one can find the "Ancientry of the Russian art" collection including 17 storage units. Collection contains information about architectural monuments and applied art samples found in archeologi-cal excavations on the Russian territory, and art samples presented in churches, cathedrals and private collections. The collection devoted to the founders of the Church Slavonic language holy and equal to apostles Cyril and Methodius (16 st.un.) contains epitomes and photo content providing insight into their activities; there are also the Slavonic script researches by Russian chronologists, philologers, linguisticians. Collection "Palestine holy places" (13 st.un.) represents geographical and historical portraits, guide-books and archival records, maps and photo content devoted to Palestine sanctities venerated by orthodox Christians and pilgrimages to these places. Collation is added by a documentary the "Russian Palestine" that narrates New Hierosolymitan monkery founded by Nikon patriarch, the landscape of which accords to its original in the Holy Land. Thus, the collections presented in the Yeltsin Presidential Library are devoted to different aspects of Russian orthodox church history, the devotional art, church historical studies and the history of monkeries, temples and clericals. These collections can help not only users who study the Orthodox history and culture but all interested in Russian spiritual heritage.

Keywords

Authors

References