Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Slavonic Civilization Entering New Age Of Anxiety; Fear Of Extinction By Nuclear War Replaced By Fear Of Eclipse By Western And American Civilization

Political elite change should not sever cultural and economic ties between Slavonic nations

"A change of political elites in the post-Soviet area should not cause the loss of cultural, economic and religious ties between the Slavonic nations, the history of which traces its roots back to Kievan Russia [sic -- Kievan or Kyivan Rus'], head of the Ukraine delegation, co-chairman of the Convocation of Slavonic Nations of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine Boris Oleinik has stated today at the 2nd congress of this public organization.

According to Boris Oleinik, the 21st century poses a wider range of economic and humanitarian challenges, which can be addressed only by joint efforts of the three countries which should at the same time preserve their unity. This is why the co-chairman supposes that today’s forum will give a new impetus to the further consolidation of the close-neighborly relations between Belarusian, Russian and Ukrainian people.

Delegates have expressed anxiety about the position the Slavonic civilization occupies in today’s world. Attempts of the USA and other Western countries to drive a wedge between the Slavonic countries and oppose them to each other are fraught with the danger of extinction of the Slavonic nations. According to the delegates, the unity, historical heritage and family relations of the people of the three countries should be used to hold out against the outside pressure. In particular, the delegates intend to discuss and pass a joint activity program to reunite the separated eastern Slavonic nations. The program’s main directions will include the creation of a single system [sic] to examine the problems of the eastern Slavonic nations, encouragement of the Orthodox propaganda, development of a coordinated system of actions of the Slavonic organizations. Besides, this document will lay the foundation for intensification of scientific, technical, financial and economic cooperation as well as that in the fields of culture, education, health protection, sport and tourism and data exchange.

It is planned, that at the final plenary session on April 11 the delegates will make a political statement condemning Western politicians who have been interfering in the three countries’ home affairs. Also the meeting is expected to deliver an address to the people, heads of state and government of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.

Attending the 2nd Convocation of Slavonic Nations of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine are more than 500 delegates: parliamentarians, public figures, politicy-makers, businessmen, representatives of the clergy and treasury."

Belarus Telegraph Agency [Official Government News Agency] April 10, 2006

http://www.belta.by/en/news/culture?id=88152










View of Polotsk, Belarus from the other bank of the Polota river.
Digitized and colorized enhancement of Photograph by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii [1863-1944], taken in 1912. [See technical note below.]

Special Collection of the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

See "The Empire That Was Russia: The Prokukin-Gorskii Photographic Record Recreated":

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/

See especially the Section on "Ethnic Diversity":

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/ethnic.html

Technical note on creating colorized images from experimental, three-tone images:

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/making.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polatsk

Polotsk (Полоцк), Belarus

"228 km [northeast] of Minsk is the oldest of Belarusian cities and the center of Old Slavic history and culture. Founded in 862, Polotsk is famous for its 11th cent. St. Sophia Cathedral. The walls of a 12th cent. fortress and a convent of the same age are still there. The Convent is named after St. Ephrosinia of Polotsk, a benefactress and matron saint of Belarus. It is there where one can see her symbol Cross which has ever been considered the national heritage of the Belarusian people. Made by a famous medieval jeweller Lazar Bogsha the original Cross was lost during 1941-1945. In 1997 a duplicate was made.

Polotsk is famous for:

The 11th cent. St. Sophia Cathedral — the monument of the architecture of the 11th — 17th cent. built in the time of Vseslav Charodey, the Prince of Polotsk. Today there is a Museum in St. Sophia Cathedral, since 1985 — the concert hall with an organ. The Cathedral is under State protection. Near the Cathedral there is a “Stone Of Boris” — the unique monument of written language of the 12th cent. (its weight is 25 tons).

The Epiphany Monastery — the monument of the architecture of the 16th cent. built in Baroque style with Classicism features. In the 17th cent. Simeon of Polotsk, a famous Belarusian enlightener, poet, thinker and pedagogue of Peter I, the Russian Emperor , lived and worked in this monastery. The monastery complex includes: The Church of Epiphany, dwelling buildings. In one of the buildings of the monastery there are two museums: The Museum of Belarusian Book-Printing and The Museum and Library of Simeon of Polotsk.

The St. Saviour And Ephrosinia Convent — the monument of the architecture of the 12th — the beginning of the 20th cent. The convent is open for services. It was founded in the 12th cent. by St. Ephrosinia of Polotsk, a benefactress and matron saint of Belarus. The Convent complex includes: The Church of Transfiguration of the Saviour — the monument of the architecture of the 12th cent., the beautiful piece of architectural school of Polotsk. It is there where one can see her symbol the Cross that has ever been considered to be the national heritage of the Belarusian people. The original Cross was made by Lazar Bogsha, a famous jeweller. During the war 1941 —45 the relic was lost and in 1997 a duplicate of the original Cross was reproduced by modern Belarusian artist Nickolai Kuzmitch.

The Dwelling House Of Polotsk (The House Of Peter I) – the monument of the architecture of the 17th cent. built in Baroque style. Peter I, the Russian Tsar, lived there during the Northern War of 1700 — 1721 (12.06 — 15.07.1700).

Polotsk is a birthplace of Francisk Skorina, a great thinker of the 16th cent., a founder of the first Belarusian printing — house in Prague; he published 23 books in Belarusian language including the Bible (it was the first edition of the Bible in Slavonic and the second in Europe)."

Text credit: Belintourist State Travel Agency With thanks.

http://www.belintourist.by/travel_en.phtml?topic=highlights

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