Russian history in faces. Vasnetsov.Nestor-chronicler.docx - Course of lectures. History of paintings. V. Vasnetsov “Nestor the Chronicler.” History of fine arts. DHS
Lesson topic: “The Tale of Bygone Years.” Peculiarities ancient Russian chronicle, her connection with art."(Integrated lesson in 7th grade)
Lesson objectives: to introduce students to the features of ancient Russian chronicles;
show the connection between Russian history, literature, painting; using the example of masterpieces of Old Russian art to show the height of the spiritual aspirations of the Russian people, to instill a taste for the beauty of the artistic word.
Equipment: collection “Stories of Russian Chronicles” (Moscow, “Enlightenment”, 1992), electronic presentation “Ancient Rus'”, coat of arms of Moscow, illustrations by students.
Epigraph: “O bright and beautifully decorated Russian land!
And you are surprised by many beauties.” (Excerpt from the chronicle)
During the classes:
Teacher's word.
Chronicles - a description of the history of the Russian land by year, by year. In them we find a description of important, significant events in the history of Rus'. Chronicles were written in monasteries - centers of culture and education. The chronicles were created by monks - enlightened people, deeply religious, selflessly devoted to their native land.
When compiling the chronicle, the monks used diaries of campaigns, reports of watchmen (scouts), letters of various kinds, letters, and spiritual testaments. And we are extremely grateful to the people who have preserved information about the past for us.
The remarkable artist and expert on Russian antiquity V. M. Vasnetsov called his painting “Nestor the Chronicler.”
Presentation slide. Painting by V. M. Vasnetsov “Nestor the Chronicler”.
In the painting by V. M. Vasnetsov “Nestor the Chronicler” we see a small monastic cell. In the very center on high wooden chair in front of the pulpit in a simple cassock sits a gray-haired old man - a monk. In a quiet cell, by the light of a lamp, Nestor tirelessly writes his work. Ancient books lie on the table - huge ones in thick leather bindings with copper clasps. The quill quill creaks in the hand of the chronicler. With one hand he holds a scroll of finely tanned leather. There is no paper yet. The monk's gaze is concentrated. He is completely immersed in the events he writes about in the chronicle. Nothing can distract him from his work. There is peace, silence and tranquility in the cell. The furnishings of the cell are very simple. We see a lectern with the Gospel, icons on the walls, and a vase with goose feathers on the pulpit. Behind the monk, through the arched window, a view of the ancient city. The vast sky stretches above the golden domes of the temple. The image of the chronicler Pimen in the drama by A.S. is remarkable. Pushkin "Boris Godunov"
3. The student reads by heart an excerpt from A. S. Pushkin’s drama “Boris Godunov.”
What features of the chronicler did A.S. show? Pushkin in this passage?
The chronicler calls his work anonymous. And they understood it as the fulfillment of the will of God. The chronicler monks rarely left us their names. These were also nameless prayer books for the Russian land. The names of a few of them have reached us. And one of these names is the name of the chronicler monk Nestor, who created “The Tale of Bygone Years,” the oldest Russian book that will reach our descendants and become the first history of Rus'.
Quietly in the chronicler's cell. Events and people come to life under the leisurely pen, and we will also read excerpts from this book.
-Reading passages from the chronicle.
“On these mountains there will be a great city...”
“The brothers Cyril and Methodius began to compose the Slavic alphabet...”
“Let us not disgrace the Russian land...”
“The Pechenegs came to the Russian land for the first time...”
“Then Vladimir’s husband spoke…”
“Vladimir started feasts in his yard in the grid...”
“And Vladimir went against his brother Yaropolk...”
"Have love for one another..."
“The devil raised a feud among the Yaroslavich brothers...”
- Is the voice of the chronicler heard behind the documentary precision of the narration?
(Yes, the author glorifies the defenders of his native land, glorifies wise princes, distributors of education, compilers of the alphabet, condemns those princes who fought with their brothers. Behind the documentary accuracy is anxiety and pain for the fate of the native land.)
Presentation slide “Battle of Kulikovo”.
Reading the passage “About the massacre on the Don and how Grand Duke fought with the horde."
About what important event the chronicler told about the life of the Russian state?
(Yes, this is the Battle of Kulikovo. Great victory under the leadership of Dmitry Donskoy.)
Presentation slide “Monument to Dmitry Donskoy in Kolomna.”
It was from our Kolomna region near Moscow that the Russian squad and militia under the leadership of Prince Dmitry went to the decisive battle.
-Did you hear the author’s excited voice? Did you feel the tension, the heaviness of this battle?
(Yes, the victory on the Kulikovo Field was won at a high price. But without this victory there would have been no unification of the entire Russian people for the final victory over the enemy. It showed that our salvation lies in strength and unity.)
5. The thought of unity resounds in best works ancient Russian art.
Presentation slide. "Trinity" by Andrei Rublev.
Student's story.
In one of the halls of the Tretyakov Gallery there is one of the most famous and celebrated icons in the world, as well as one of the most beloved and revered in Rus' - “The Trinity”, painted at the beginning of the 15th century by the great ancient Russian painter Andrei Rublev.
Under green oak in front of the sacrificial bowl at the table we see three angels who seem to be having a quiet, unhurried conversation with each other.
At first it seems how far this plot is from real life with its stormy passions, political strife, enemy raids. But is it?
The heads of the angels are tilted towards each other, there are barely noticeable movements from one to the other, the colors of the robes echo each other in various details of clothing. The figures of angels form a circle and are perceived as one whole, indivisible. World. agreement. love - that’s what Andrei Rublev called his contemporaries to, and there was no more important call in that era.
Presentation slide. Icon Mother of God"Vladimirskaya".
Student's story.
Speaking about the era of Ancient Rus', one cannot help but talk about the place icons occupied in the spiritual life of our ancestors. Icons of the Mother of God are especially revered in Rus'. Since ancient times, Rus' has been called destiny Holy Mother of God. Our ancestors prayed before the image of the Mother of God in times of trial, in the face of mortal danger, before the start of campaigns and battles, before making important, responsible decisions, in days of spiritual sorrow and adversity.
One of the most revered and beloved icons in Rus' is “Our Lady of Vladimir”. According to legend, this icon was painted by the Evangelist Luke himself and was brought to Rus' from Byzantium. It is impossible to take your eyes off the face of the Mother of God, who seems to look into the soul of everyone who looks at her. Her eyes express great sorrow. They evoke the deepest sympathy for the suffering of a mother who anticipates the tragic fate of her son. The baby gently hugged his mother's neck. This style of icon painting was called “Tenderness”.
Teacher's word.
Presentation slide “Coat of Arms of Moscow”.
Reading by heart the poem by R. Rozhdestvensky “The Horseman”.
Dark-faced and fire-haired,
All in the rays of the passing day,
Breaking through the whitish dusk,
He reared his horse over the cliff.
And his eyes are in a gloomy shine,
Flaring up like a dark diamond,
In a fresco half erased by centuries
They flew at us relentlessly.
He stood before the artist like a vision,
This horseman on the bare wall,
Carried away by a whirlwind into battle
With an arrow stuck in the armor.
He grabbed his brushes in delight,
To hold that moment forever,
As if I once myself, like Georgy,
He led the Russian army against his enemies.
In the twilight of an empty cathedral,
Forgetting about food and sleep,
He wrote what caught his eye
From the swirling distance of time.
He did not write for darkness and peace,
Not for halos and angel wings,
He's in the brave heart of a hero
He overflowed with irrepressible passion.
And his winged rider flies
A hundred times more beautiful than all the archangels,
Taking on light armor
Stormy life, victorious sunset.
Literature: Dictionary of a Young Artist
(Moscow “Enlightenment 1999)
Stories from Russian chronicles
(M., “Enlightenment” 1992)
"Stories by native history»
(Moscow, “Enlightenment” 1999)
Municipal state-financed organization additional education"DSHI
Pochinkovsky district"
Lecture course.
History of paintings.
V. Vasnetsov “Nestor the Chronicler”.
Story visual arts.
DHS.
Developer: art department teacher
MBU DO "DSHI Pochinkovsky district"
Kazakova Inna Viktorovna
2017
18851896 Vasnetsov V.M. "Nestoral Chronicler"
This painting by Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov was painted between 1885-1896.
The work is done in watercolors on cardboard. The painting is in the house museum of V.M.
Vasnetsova.
Nestor, monk of the Kiev Pechersk Monastery (about 1056-1114), spiritual writer,
thinker, chronicler, author of The Tale of Bygone Years. From what Nestor wrote
“The Life of Theodosius of Pechersk” we learn that he was tonsured under the abbot
Stefan (whose years of abbess were 1074-1078) and elevated by him to the “deaconate”
and that even before the “Life of Theodosius” he wrote “Reading about Boris and Gleb”.
“Reading about the life and destruction of the blessed passion of Boris and Gleb” is written
Nestor according to the canon of the life of the martyrium. Stories of the death of Vladimir's sons
Svyatoslavich Nestor prefaces an extensive historical introduction, in which
reflects on the eternal struggle between good and evil. According to Nestor, Russian history is
the struggle between good and evil, eternal good beginnings human soul with demonic temptation
forces of evil. Boris and Gleb appear in “Reading” as active champions of Christian
ideals - humility and brotherly love, and Svyatopolk appears as an instrument of the devil
intrigues. “Reading” is inferior in popularity and prevalence to the anonymous “Legend”
about Boris and Gleb."
After the “Reading” Nestor writes “The Life of our Venerable Father Theodosius, Abbot
Pechersky", which tells about the life and deeds of one of the founders
monastery As is typical for the lives of the righteous who labor in the monastery,
The Life of Theodosius is distinguished by its vivid characterizations of monks and laity. Nestor
achieves the illusion of plausibility in the description of the miracles performed by Theodosius, skillfully
depicting everyday details, naturally conveying the dialogue of the characters. Especially
The image of Theodosius’s mother stands out in the “Life”: contrary to tradition, Nestor depicts
a pious Christian who is not devoid of any individual traits,
appearing in the conventional role of the mother of a saint, but, on the contrary, depicts a woman
imperious, stern, resolutely opposed to the religious aspirations of her son, not
stopping short of brutally beating or chaining a youth,
dreaming only of godly deeds and tonsure.
The hagiographic image of Theodosius himself is also complex and, perhaps, close to its prototype:
distinguished by extraordinary humility in monastic life, Theodosius nevertheless
sharply condemns Prince Svyatoslav for his unseemly actions. Researchers found
in the "Life" plot motifs seem to be borrowed from translated Byzantine
Lives, but probably we should only talk about the similarities of situations: Nestor always
fills the story with specific features of Kyiv life and monastic life of the 11th century. IN
In this regard, the following episode is interesting: the prince, who was somewhere outside the city,
instructs a certain youth to take Theodosius on a cart to Kyiv. Seeing someone poorly dressed
Theodosius, the young man takes him for a simple monk and, condescendingly reproaches him for
constant idleness, suggests changing places: the young man will sleep in the cart, and
Let Theodosius drive the horse. True to his customs, Theodosius humbly
agrees. But when the travelers approached Kyiv, the young man notices an extraordinary
respect shown to Theodosius, and with fear he realizes his mistake. In that
episode, in addition to a purely moralizing idea - glorifying the humility of Theodosius -
a lot of living details: and a mention of respect that is far from pious
attitude towards monks, and everyday features of princely life, and purely
realistic image the abbot himself, who walks next to the horse when
The eyes begin to close.
In 1113-1018, Nestor compiled the oldest chronicle collection “The Tale of Time
years", which was later included in almost all chronicle collections.
In The Tale of Bygone Years, Nestor views earthly life as
the confrontation between good and evil, and not only as a struggle between God’s messengers and servants
Satan, but as a confrontation between good and evil people. The latter are more dangerous than demons, because
“the devils fear God,” and evil person He fears neither God nor man. Exactly
through them the world's evil multiplies.
28.11.2014
Description of the painting by Viktor Vasnetsov " Nestor the Chronicler"
In 1885 - 1896, the Itinerant artist Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov was invited to paint the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. For this work, he created a huge number of sketches depicting the faces of saints. One of them was the chronicler Nestor, one of the authors of the “Tale of Bygone Years” - the main source on which modern ideas O early period Russian history. Recognizing the merits of this most educated man of his time, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized him as a saint.
In 1919, Vasnetsov again returned to the religious theme. Nestor's personality and especially his invaluable contribution to Russian culture evokes deep respect from him. No wonder he portrayed the chronicler in Orthodox tradition, with a halo around his head, emphasizing his holiness and greatness. Nestor is depicted at work in his small cell in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, covered with scrolls lie on a high desk, and he holds a quill pen in his hand. Behind, on a special stand, lies a handwritten Bible. On the wall is an icon depicting an archangel. In the semicircular window you can see Kyiv - the three-domed Vladimir Cathedral and other buildings. The chronicler appears before us as a tall old man with a long gray beard. He is in a monastic robe, his attentive eyes are directed into the distance, as if he is thinking about what he has written and selecting further words. The expression on his face is rather kind, he gives the impression of being honest and very smart person, conscientiously capturing on paper all the events that take place. In Vasnetsov’s painting we see not the holy Venerable Nestor, who became for subsequent generations the legendary author of ancient manuscripts, but what seems to be ordinary person striving for a righteous life and putting his desire into practice.
Available in State Tretyakov Gallery amazing picture. It depicts a humble monk with a wise, concentrated face, a pen frozen in his hand. This is the author of Russian chronicles, who wrote the history of Rus' as component world history, the most educated monk, Venerable Nestor the Chronicler.
In the silence of the monastery cells, he wrote his main work, “The Tale of Bygone Years,” which became the highest creation of world literature. And the author of the famous painting “Nestor the Chronicler” is the Russian artist Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov.
Looking at Vasnetsov’s painting, I remember lines from the tragedy of A.S. Pushkin “Boris Godunov”, dedicated to the work of the chronicler:
One more, last, saying -
And my chronicle is finished,
The duty commanded by God has been fulfilled
Me, a sinner. No wonder many years
The Lord has made me a witness
And taught the art of books;
Someday the monk is hardworking
Will find my diligent, nameless work,
He will light his lamp, like me -
And, shaking off the dust of centuries from the charters,
He will rewrite true stories,
May the descendants of the Orthodox know
The native land has a past fate...
The Monk Nestor lived and worked at the turn of the 11th-12th centuries. In his youth he came to Kiev Pechersky Monastery to the Monk Theodosius and became his novice. Nestor the Chronicler will write about this time later:
“When Stefan ruled the monastery and the blessed flock that Theodosius gathered, the Chernets shone like stars in Rus'. Some were strong teachers, others were strong in vigil or kneeling prayer; some fasted every other day and every other two days, others ate only bread and water, others - boiled potion, others - only raw. Everyone was in love: the younger ones submitted to the elders, not daring to speak in front of them and expressing complete submission and obedience; and the elders showed love to the younger ones, instructed and consoled them, like fathers of small children. If any brother fell into any sin, they consoled him and great love They divided the penance of one into two and into three. Such was mutual love, with strict abstinence! If a brother left the monastery, then all the brethren grieved for him, sent for him and called his brother to the monastery, then they went to the abbot, bowed and begged to accept their brother, and received him with great joy.”
Being a novice of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, endowed with the talent from God to be an attentive and thoughtful listener, Nestor develops his talent over the years. “Gifted with a curious mind,” wrote historian N.M. Karamzin about the Monk Nestor the Chronicler - listened with attention to the oral traditions of antiquity, folk historical tales; I saw monuments, the graves of princes; talked with nobles, elders of Kyiv, travelers, residents of other Russian regions; read Byzantine chronicles, church notes and became the first chronicler of the Fatherland.” Under his pen, pictures of the heroic past of our Fatherland came to life. He opened the curtain of time for us so that we could plunge into the historical past of our Motherland, to know “...where the Russian land came from.” About the foundation of Kyiv City, the reign of Prince Vladimir, who baptized Rus', and Princess Olga, about the first passion-bearers Boris and Gleb, the sons of Prince Vladimir, innocently killed, about the great Kyiv princes Igor and Svyatoslav, the chronicler tells about the battles and trials that befell Kievan Rus, and much more in “The Tale of Bygone Years.”
The “Encyclopedia of People and Ideas” says about Nestor the chronicler: “The patriotic monk sets out the history of the Russian Church in the main moments of its historical formation. He talks about the first mention of the Russian people in church sources - in 866, under the holy Patriarch Photius of Constantinople; tells about the creation of the Slavic charter by Saints Cyril and Methodius, Equal-to-the-Apostles, and the Baptism of Saint Olga, Equal-to-the-Apostles in Constantinople. The chronicle of St. Nestor has preserved for us the story of the first Orthodox church in Kyiv (under 945), about the confessional feat of the holy Varangian martyrs (under 983), about the “test of faith” by Saint Vladimir Equal-to-the-Apostles (986) and the Baptism of Rus' (988). We owe information about the first metropolitans of the Russian Church, about the emergence of the Pechersk monastery, about its founders and devotees to the first Russian church historian. The time of St. Nestor was not easy for the Russian land and the Russian Church. Rus' was tormented by princely civil strife, the steppe nomadic Cumans ravaged cities and villages with predatory raids, drove Russian people into slavery, burned temples and monasteries. The Monk Nestor was an eyewitness to the destruction of the Pechersk monastery in 1096. The chronicle provides a theological understanding of Russian history. The spiritual depth, historical fidelity and patriotism of “The Tale of Bygone Years” place it among the highest creations of world literature.” The Monk Nestor deeply valued “bookish teaching,” combined with humility and repentance: “There is great benefit from bookish teaching, books punish and teach us the path to repentance, for from bookish words we gain wisdom and self-control. These are the rivers that water the universe, from which wisdom emanates. Books have innumerable depth, we console ourselves with them in sorrow, they are the bridle of abstinence. If you diligently search for wisdom in the books, you will gain great benefit for your soul. For he who reads books converses with God or holy men.”
For modern people who forget about the great significance of the book, who obtain information by speed reading from Internet resources, who are carried away by SMS messages, often illiterate, with a lot of spelling errors, the words of St. Nestor the chronicler sound like a reminder: stop, man, pick up a book, learn from her wisdom of centuries, depth of thought and receive “great benefit for your soul.”
Larisa TELEGINA,
Nizhnevartovsk
“The Tale of Bygone Years” remains relevant today
The alphabet, literacy, enlightenment - without these concepts, perhaps, neither the development of spirituality, nor, especially, civilization is possible. These are the ways in which both sacred and moral, intellectual, aesthetic knowledge are passed on from generation to generation. All holiness and bookishness in Rus' came, first of all, from Kyiv, the mother of Russian cities, now undergoing difficult trials
V.M. Vasnetsov. Saint Nestor the chronicler. 1885 -1893
One of the most famous monks who rests in the Near (St. Anthony) caves of the Kyiv Lavra is Nestor the Chronicler (honored by the Church on November 9, New Art.), who left us “The Tale of Bygone Years” - the most famous of the ancient Russian chronicle works of the 12th century, describing mostly history Eastern Slavs, where the story begins from Flood, covering historical and semi-legendary events that took place in ancient Rus'. Otherwise, the monument is called the Chronicle of Nestor or the Primary Chronicle.
It is here that we read things that move the heart of every Russian Orthodox man words about how the holy apostle came to the lands of future Rus'. “When Andrey taught in Sinop and arrived in Korsun, he learned that the mouth of the Dnieper was not far from Korsun... and sailed to the mouth of the Dnieper, and from there he went up the Dnieper. And it so happened that he came and stood under the mountains on the shore. And in the morning he got up and said to the disciples who were with him: “Do you see these mountains? On these mountains the grace of God will shine, there will be a great city, and God will erect many churches.” And having ascended these mountains, he blessed them, and put up a cross, and prayed to God, and came down from this mountain, where Kyiv would later be, and went up the Dnieper. And he came to the Slavs, where Novgorod now stands...”
The Tale of Bygone Years”, in Glagolitic
And here is another fragment from the Tale: “As time passed, after the death of these brothers (Kiya, Shchek and Khoriv), the Drevlyans and other surrounding people began to oppress the glades. And the Khazars found them sitting on these mountains in the forests and said: “Pay us tribute.” The glades, having consulted, gave a sword from the smoke, and the Khazars took them to their prince and to the elders, and said to them: “Behold, new tribute We found it." They asked them: "Where from?" They answered: "In the forest on the mountains above the Dnieper River." They again asked: "What did they give?" They showed the sword.
And the Khazar elders said: “This is not a good tribute, prince: we obtained it with weapons that are sharp only on one side - sabers, but these have double-edged weapons - swords. They are destined to collect tribute from us and from other lands.”
And all this came true, for they did not speak of their own will, but God's command. So it was under Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, when they brought Moses to him and the elders of Pharaoh said: “This is destined to humiliate the land of Egypt.” And so it happened: the Egyptians died from Moses, and first the Jews worked for them. It’s the same with these: first they ruled, and then they rule over them; so it is: the Russian princes still rule the Khazars to this day.”
Venerable Nestor the Chronicler. Icon. XIX century.
This year marks 900 years since his death outstanding writer and a preserver of Russian history, an ascetic of the faith. The Kiev-Pechersk Patericon states that the Monk Nestor the Chronicler was born in the 1050s in Kyiv. As a young man he came to the Monk Theodosius, the founder of the Kyiv Pechersk Assumption Monastery, and became a novice. Nestor was tonsured by Theodosius' successor, Abbot Stefan.
The Monk Nestor said: “There is great benefit from bookish teaching; books punish and teach us the path to repentance, for from bookish words we gain wisdom and abstinence. These are the rivers that water the universe, from which wisdom emanates. Books have innumerable depth, we console ourselves with them in sorrow, they are the bridle of abstinence. If you diligently search for wisdom in the books, you will gain great benefit for your soul. For he who reads books converses with God or holy men.”
Nestor the Chronicler. Reconstruction based on the skull of S.A. Nikitina.
Let us remember that this was said in those days when the book was truly only a source of spiritual wisdom and enlightenment. A lot has changed in a thousand years.
Gutenberg's press printed, alas, megatons of the most unbridled literature, when bookishness included “secular” literature, sophisticated and perverted at times to the point of insanity and devilry.
The Monk Nestor carried out the obedience of the chronicler in the monastery. In the 1080s, he wrote “Reading about the life and destruction of the blessed passion-bearers Boris and Gleb” - in connection with the transfer of the relics of the martyred brothers to Vyshgorod in 1072. Let us recall that the brother-princes became the first saints in Rus', they were canonized as saints - as intercessors of the Russian land and heavenly helpers of the Russian princes.
Nestor the Chronicler. Birch bark. V. Churilov. Kharkiv.
At the same time, the Monk Nestor compiled his Life St. Theodosius Pechersky, and in 1091, on the eve patronal feast Pechersk monastery, abbot John instructed him to dig up the holy relics of St. Theodosius from the ground for transfer to the temple (the discovery is celebrated on August 14). Historians claim that at the ceremonial opening of the relics of St. Theodosius (1091) monk Nestor was one of the main characters, and the great authority of Nestor among the brethren of the Pechersk monastery is indicated by the story of the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon about the exorcism of the demon from the monk Nikita the Recluse: here, along with such ascetics of faith and piety as Abbot Nikon, Pimen the Postnik, Agapit Lechec, Gregory the Wonderworker, Isaac the Pechernik, Gregory, the creator of the canons, Onesiphorus the Seer, stands also Nestor, “like the chronicler who wrote,” then still a relatively young monk.
Monument to Nestor the Chronicler in Kyiv. 1988 Sculptor F.M. Soghoyan. Architect N. Kisly.
Big biographical encyclopedia states: " The most important work— The Life of Theodosius of Pechersk, compiled in the period of time between 1077 and 1088: it alone can provide some support in judgments about Nestor as a writer. Enjoying great popularity in Old Russian writing, Life of Rev. Feodosia has a rather complex literary history, which can be traced with more or less careful attention to various editions of the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon, in which this Life has long occupied a prominent and honorable place. How literary work, Nestorov’s Life has significant merits and clearly speaks of the author’s great reading and outstanding education: good language(consistent Church Slavonic style), sensible and sometimes entertaining presentation...”
But the main feat of the life of the Monk Nestor was still the compilation by 1112-1113. "Tales of Bygone Years." Based on the historical and literary data that science currently has, there is reason to believe that the supposed Nestor Chronicle included “The Legend that the Pechersk Monastery was nicknamed”, “The Tale of the First Monkmen of the Pechersk”; “The Sermon on the Transfer of the Relics of St. Feodosia”, as well as several small notes.
Lyubech. Monument to Nestor the Chronicler.
“This is the story of bygone years, where the Russian land came from, who began the reign in Kyiv, and where the Russian land came from,” - this is how the Monk Nestor defined the purpose of his work from the first lines.
Nestor was definitely a Russian patriot, as can be judged at least by the events to which he devoted the pages of his narrative. He talks about the first mention of the Russian people in church sources - in 866, under the holy Patriarch Photius of Constantinople. It also tells about the creation of the Slavic charter by the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles “Slovenian teachers” Cyril and Methodius. It is from him that we learn about the Baptism of St. Olga Equal-to-the-Apostles in Helena in Constantinople.
The chronicle of St. Nestor has preserved for us the story about the first Orthodox church in Kyiv (945), about the confessional feat of the holy Varangian martyrs (983), about the famous “test of faith” by Saint Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles (986) and what followed after that Baptism of Rus' (988).
We also owe Nestor information about the first metropolitans of the Russian Church, about the emergence of the Pechersk monastery on the Kyiv Dnieper hills, about its founders and ascetics. The monk was an eyewitness to the destruction of the Pechersk monastery in 1096.
The spiritual depth, historical fidelity and patriotism of “The Tale of Bygone Years” place it among the highest creations of our national and world literature.
The Monk Nestor the Chronicler died around 1114, bequeathing to the Pechersk monks-chroniclers the continuation of his brainchild. In general, in its final form, “The Tale of Bygone Years” is the combined work of several monks Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Nestor's successors in the chronicles were Abbot Sylvester, who gave modern look“The Tale of Bygone Years”, Abbot Moses Vydubitsky, who extended it until 1200, Abbot Lavrenty, who in 1377 wrote the oldest copy that has reached us, preserving the “Tale” of St. Nestor (“Laurentian Chronicle”).
Laurentian Chronicle, 1377
Canonized (Reverend Nestor the Chronicler) in Russian Orthodox Church; memory - October 27th Julian calendar. The relics rest in the Near (Antoniev) caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.
Nestor, under the name Nestor the Chronicler, Pechersky is included in the list of saints of the Roman Catholic Church.
The main Russian chronicler is immortalized in sculptural monuments in many cities of Rus'.
Monument to Nestor the Chronicler in Pryluky
First of all, famous monument M. Mikeshin “Millennium of Russia” (1862).
On June 10, 1988, not far from the Kiev-Pechersk monastery, a monument to Nestor the Chronicler was unveiled as a gift from the sculptor F. Sogoyan (architect N. Kisly) to the city, in connection with the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'.
There is a monument to Nestor the Chronicler both in Novgorod-Seversky and in Priluki, where it was erected in honor of the 900th anniversary of the city on the territory of the ancient Val.
In Lyubech, the monument to the chronicler has a remarkably unifying character: it was erected in 1997 in honor of the famous first congress of ancient Russian princes, which took place here in 1097. The Russian unifying theme, as we see, has been painful for almost a thousand years.
Holy Father Nestore, pray to God for us!
