Knjiga i knjižnice srednjovjekovne Rusije

U povijesti Rusije i ruske kulture razdoblje srednjeg vijeka zauzima posebno mjesto. U tom je razdoblju koje je trajalo od 9. do 17. stoljeća stvorena prva centralizirana država istočnih Slavena pod nazivom Kijevska Rus', formirani su etnokulturni temelji budućih nacija Rusa, Ukrajinaca i Bjelorusa i njihovih nacionalnih jezika, izgrađeni su pravoslavno – kršćanski ideali i uzdigla se bogata staroruska kultura. Jedinstvo staroruske narodnosti odrazilo se u formiranju zajedničkog književnog jezika i zajedničke duhovne i materijalne kulture. Prihvaćanje kršćanstva u 10. stoljeću dalo je toj kulturi potpuno novi oblik. Pojava pravoslavnih manastira i manastirskih knjižnica neodvojiv su dio njene duhovne, prije svega knjižne kulture. Njihovo je značenje u povijesti istočnoslavenskih naroda ogromno jer su zahvaljujući svojoj višestrukoj ulozi prosvjetiteljskih institucija, srednjovjekovnih skriptorija i najvećih centara prikupljanja i čuvanja knjiga ostali sačuvani brojni pisani spomenici staroruske kulture. Ovaj rad prati njihov put od prvih manastirskih knjižnica Kijevske Rusi kroz teško razdoblje mongolske vladavine do njihovog ponovnog procvata u Moskovskoj velikoj kneževini i pojave novih tipova knjižnica krajem srednjeg vijeka.In the history of Russia and the Russian culture, the Medieval period is especially prominent. During this period, which lasted from the 9th to the 17th century AD, the first centralized state of East Slavs was established under the name of Kievan Rus’, the ethnocultural foundations of the future Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian nations and their national languages were laid, the ideals of Orthodox Christianity were formed and the rich Old Russian culture was developed. The unity of the Old Russian nationality was reflected in the formation of a common official language and a common spiritual and material culture. The acceptance of Christianity in the 10th century gave this culture a completely new form. The emergence of Orthodox monasteries and monastery libraries forms an inseparable part of its spiritual culture, which was primarily a book culture. Their significance in the history of East Slavic nations is tremendous because of their multifaceted role as educational institutions, medieval scriptoria and as primary book collection and storage centres where numerous written monuments of the Old Russian culture were preserved. This paper follows their journey from the first monastery libraries of Kievan Rus’, through a difficult period of Mongol rule, until their revival in the time of the Grand Principality of Moscow and the emergence of the new types of libraries at the end of the Middle Ages in Russia