Simeon of Polotsk history briefly. The main activities of Simeon of Polotsk and their results Brief biography of Simeon of Polotsk

Simeon of Polotsk - the great Belarusian educator Simeon of Polotsk is one of the outstanding figures not only of Belarusian and Russian, but also, moreover, of Slavic culture as a whole. He went down in history as a monk, public and church figure, theologian, teacher and educator, poet and writer. In terms of the versatility of his interests and activities, he was close to the figures of the Renaissance.

Simeon Polotsk or Samuil Gavrilovich (also called another patronymic - Emelyanovich) Petrovsky-Sitnyanovich was born in Polotsk in 1629. He owes his “double” patronymic and double surname to his father, whose name was Gabriel Sitnyanovich, and his stepfather, Emelyan Petrovsky. In 1651, he graduated from the Kiev-Mohyla College, the then largest Orthodox center of higher humanitarian and theological education, and in 1653 from the Vilna Jesuit Academy. Returning to Polotsk, in June 1656, in the Orthodox Polotsk Epiphany Monastery, he accepted monasticism with the name of Simeon and received the position of “didaskal” - teacher in the “fraternal” school at the same monastery. Subsequently, already in Moscow, the nickname Polotsk was added to the name Simeon - after his hometown.

Through the efforts of Simeon of Polotsk, the training program at the Polotsk fraternal school was significantly expanded: in addition to the Belarusian language, Russian and Polish were included for study, more attention was paid to grammar, and rhetoric and poetry were mastered. Even then he showed himself to be a European-educated person with encyclopedic knowledge. During this period there was a war between Russia and Poland. Simeon of Polotsk was on the side of Russia and sympathized with Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. When the Russian troops captured Polotsk, he presented the Tsar with his greeting “Metra”.

In 1660, together with the students of his fraternal school, Simeon of Polotsk left for Moscow for several months, where he was able to visit the royal palace in the Kremlin and read his poems to the highest family. In 1661, he moved to Moscow permanently, settled in the Spassky Monastery and received a position as a Latin teacher at the monastery school. Simeon of Polotsk brought with him the fruits of European learning - an excellent knowledge of the languages of Latin, Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, as well as the “seven free sciences” - grammar, rhetoric, dialectics, arithmetic, geometry, astrology, music. Soon, by order of Alexei Mikhailovich, wooden mansions were built in the school of the Spassky Monastery, where young clerks of the Order of Secret Affairs were sent to study with Simeon. The main purpose of classes at the school was to teach Latin - then the language of diplomacy - to young government officials, among whom was Sylvester (Medvedev), who in many ways continued the theological and creative line of the teacher.

At the beginning of 1665, Simeon offered Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich “a greeting on the newly gifted son of the Sovereign Tsarevich and Grand Duke Simeon Alekseevich.” Composed in verse, this “welcome” was favorably received by the king. After some time, Simeon of Polotsk made a speech to the king about the need to “seek wisdom,” that is, to increase the level of education in the Moscow state. Simeon of Polotsk enjoyed the patronage of Paisius Ligarid, bishop of the Jerusalem Church, Orthodox metropolitan of Gaza, an active participant in the church-political struggle in the Moscow state in the 1660s, and was his translator. Paisius Ligarid was very influential among the ruling persons of Russia. This circumstance gave Simeon access to the court. At the court of Alexei Mikhailovich, Simeon of Polotsk received recognition as the wisest “philosopher”, “vitia” and “piit”. He took part in matters of national importance, in particular, in the work of the church council of 1666-1667, which condemned both the schism teachers and Patriarch Nikon . Based on the materials and resolutions of the council, Simeon compiled the book “The Rod of Government for the government of the mental flock of the Orthodox Russian Church, - affirmations for the affirmation of those who waver in the faith, - punishment for the punishment of disobedient sheep, - executions to defeat the stiff-necked and predatory wolves who attack the flock of Christ.” (shortly called the “Rod of Government”), published by the Printing House in 1667. The Council responded to the work of Simeon of Polotsk with high praise, recognizing the “Rod of Government” “from the pure silver of God’s word, and from the sacred scriptures and correct wine-making.”

Simeon's wide education and literary talents prompted Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich to invite him in 1667 to be a mentor to the heir to the throne, Tsarevich Alexei, and after Alexei's death, to Tsarevich Fyodor. When it was necessary to choose a mentor for the young Tsarevich Pyotr Alekseevich, the future Peter the Great, he was instructed to examine clerk Nikita Zotov for this role. An invitation to the court as a home teacher for the royal children finally strengthened Simeon's position in court circles. He becomes one of the most influential people at the court of Alexei Mikhailovich, and after his death at the court of his student Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich.

For the royal children, Simeon of Polotsk wrote several works: “The Multi-Colored Vertograd” (a collection of poems intended to serve as a “reading book”), “The Life and Teaching of Christ our Lord and God”, “The Book of Brief Catechetical Questions and Answers” and a number of others. He also composed the king's speeches, wrote ceremonial announcements, and translated the polemical treatises of Paisius Ligarides. Being an educator in his views, Simeon of Polotsk always attached great importance to the development of education in Russia. When in 1680 a plan for organizing the first higher educational institution arose in Moscow, he took an active part in the formation of the “Privilege for the Academy,” which was finalized after the death of Simeon of Polotsk by his student Sylvester Medvedev. The “privilege” provided for the study by students of the Academy of “civil and spiritual” sciences, ranging from grammar to philosophy and theology, as well as “the teaching of spiritual and temporal justice,” that is, legal sciences. According to the project of Simeon of Polotsk, four languages were to be studied at the Academy: Slavic, Greek, Latin and Polish.

In 1687, already 7 years after his death, the first higher educational institution in Russia was opened in Moscow under the name “Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy”. In 1678, taking advantage of the patronage of Tsar Fedor, Simeon of Polotsk opened a printing house in the Kremlin, where he published his works and other authors, involving the court artist Simon Ushakov and the engraver of the Armory Chamber Afanasy Trukhmensky in the design of the books. Simeon published in the printing house “A Primer of the Slavonic Language” (1679), “Testament of Basil, King of Greece, to the Son of Leo” (1680), “The History of Varlaam and Joasaph” (1680).

Simeon of Polotsk considered preaching to be one of the main activities in his activity. He wrote more than 200 sermons, which were compiled into the collections “Spiritual Supper” (1681) and “Spiritual Dinner” (1683), published after the death of their author. The first contains several sermons on Sundays, and the second - on the feasts of the Lord, the Mother of God and saints, as well as, in the form of an addition, sermons on special occasions: on funerals, against superstitions, on listening to the liturgy, on seeking wisdom, etc. P.

Simeon of Polotsk's style of sermons is quite simple, free from pretentiousness. Speech structures are natural and easy to understand. The idea of each teaching is expressed clearly; there are no pointless digressions or artificial applications. To dry abstractions, which are especially difficult to understand by ear, Polotsky prefers descriptions and stories that clearly present the idea and impart artistic depiction to the sermon. A talented preacher, learned polemicist and theologian, translator and teacher, Simeon of Polotsk went down in history as a writer, playwright, poet, and the founder of Russian syllabic poetry.

Writing poetry was one of his favorite pastimes. He wrote poetry quickly and, apparently, always with great enthusiasm. The poetic legacy of Simeon of Polotsk is enormous. The total number of poetic lines written by him over all the years of his literary activity reaches fifty thousand. There seems to be no genre in which Simeon of Polotsk would not try to write a poem. Shortly before his death, in 1678, Simeon combined all his poems, “in different years and times,” into two extensive collections - “Rhythmologion” and “Vertograd Multicolored”. Both collections are of primary interest for characterizing Simeon of Polotsk as a poet.

Simeon of Polotsk also wrote dramatic works. His first experiments in this genre date back to the time when he was a teacher at a “fraternal” school in Polotsk. For the students of this school, around 1658, he wrote a small Christmas pastoral entitled “Shepherd's Conversations,” which, under his leadership, was performed by the students. Subsequently, new works of his appeared in Moscow. From this time, two of his plays in verse have reached us: “The Comedy about King Nechadnezzar, about the golden body and about the three youths in the cave who were not burned” and “The Comedy of the Parable of the Prodigal Son”, as well as more than twenty so-called “recitations”.

Simeon of Polotsk died in 1680 and was buried in the Zaikonospassky Monastery in Moscow. As a sign of the gratitude of the Belarusian people to their outstanding fellow countryman - theologian and educator - in 2004 a monument to Simeon of Polotsk (sculptor A. Finsky) was erected in Polotsk.

(real name - Samuil Gavrilovich Petrovsky-Sitnianovich)

(1629-1680) Russian poet, translator and educator

Simeon of Polotsk lived and worked in an era that was called “transitional”. The 17th century became a kind of milestone in the development of Russian culture. During this short period of time, the whole life of Russian people has changed in many ways. Russia experienced strong social upheavals and finally united with the diverse European culture. A significant place in this process is occupied by the figure of Simeon, a man through whose work Russian people became acquainted with European culture and literature.

Almost nothing is known about Simeon's childhood. Apparently, his place of birth was Polotsk. Having received primary education, at the age of fourteen he became a student at the Kiev-Mohyla Academy. Within its walls he not only studied foreign languages, including Latin and Greek, but also met many writers and public figures. It is known that the rector of the academy, Peter Mogila, spoke highly of Simeon’s abilities.

In 1650, Samuil Sitnianovich received the title of “didaskal”. Among the best graduates, he is sent to Vilna, where he enters the Jesuit Academy to continue his education. To do this, Samuel had to join the Catholic Basilian order. However, he was unable to finish his studies at the academy, because in 1654 Poland entered the war with Russia.

Returning to Polotsk, Samuel took monastic vows at the Epiphany Monastery and received the new name of Simeon. A few months after this, the Russian army led by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich entered Polotsk. It can be assumed that, as one of the most educated monks, who knew several languages, Simeon was introduced to the king, made a favorable impression on him and received an invitation to come to Moscow.

Simeon of Polotsk did not immediately accept the Tsar’s invitation and spent eight whole years in Polotsk. Only in the spring of 1664 did he become a permanent resident of Moscow. The beginning of Moscow life was marked by a responsible assignment. Simeon was instructed to organize a Latin school at the Zaikonospassky Monastery. The future great Russian scientist Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov received his primary education there.

Simeon of Polotsk coped with this difficult task brilliantly: already the first graduates sent on diplomatic missions to different countries showed a high level of education. From this time on, Simeon established friendly relations with Alexei Mikhailovich, and he became a frequent guest in the royal palace. The king often gave the educated monk other assignments. So, for each solemn event, Polotsk writes a lengthy poetic congratulation.

Soon the poet's position becomes even more responsible: he is appointed educator and teacher of the royal children. In addition, Simeon also carries out responsible political assignments. He participates in the church council at which Patriarch Nikon was condemned, and also composes scientific treatises directed against the Old Believers.

But Polotsky’s activities as a translator are most famous. He translated many Latin works, both ecclesiastical and secular, into Russian. To educate the prince, Polotsk compiled a whole library of edifying books. Obviously, such work should have become the property of society. And such an opportunity soon presented itself. Simeon of Polotsk received permission from the tsar to open the first uncensored printing house in Russia. It was called Upper because it was located in the palace.

It published translations prepared by Polotsky, as well as a number of his own works, primarily the collection of poems “Vertograd of Many Colors” - a real encyclopedia in verse, containing information on ancient mythology, history, philosophy and Christian symbolism.

Another major collection of Polotsk - "Rhymelogion" - contains sermons and solemn poems, as well as dramatic works. On the initiative of Polotsk, a court theater was created, in which plays written by him were performed.

In addition, Simeon undertook the titanic work of preparing a complete verse translation of the Bible. He believed that by translating the Bible into verse, he would make it more accessible to the Russian people. In this work, Simeon of Polotsk, for the first time in Russian literature, used the “ladder” arrangement of poetic lines, later used by Vladimir Mayakovsky.

Simeon of Polotsk begins his work with a transcription of the Psalter, and completed it with an unprecedented publication for that time - the Bible in pictures, for which he composed lengthy poetic texts.

However, Polotsk’s active educational activities aroused not only admiration, but also envy. The Orthodox clergy did not understand his wide education, and it is no coincidence that the writer himself constantly felt like a “strange stranger” in Moscow. Naturally, as a monk he did not have a family, but he lived his whole life with his brothers and sister, whom he never ceased to care for.

True, the opponents did not dare to oppose him. Only after Simeon's sudden death did they dare to issue an incriminating treatise.

All his life Simeon of Polotsk collected books. Dreaming that even after his death they would serve the cause of enlightenment, he divided his library between four monasteries - Moscow Zaikonospassky, Polotsk Epiphany and Kyiv - Pechersk and Bratsk.

Moral poems and books written by Simeon of Polotsk were not forgotten. They influenced not only Russian, but also Belarusian and Ukrainian culture. In addition, the syllabic principle of versification that he discovered determined the development of Russian poetry for almost a century.

Simeon of Polotsk - (in the world - Samuil Gavrilovich Petrovsky-Sitnyanovich, Belarusian. Samuil Gaurylavich Pyatrovski-Sitnyanovich, Polish. Samuel Piotrowski-Sitnianowicz; Polotsky - toponymic nickname) (1629-1680) - figure of East Slavic culture of the 17th century, spiritual writer, theologian, poet, playwright, translator, Basilian monk. He was a mentor to the children of the Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich from Miloslavskaya: Alexei, Sophia and Fedor.

Along with such poets as Sylvester Medvedev, Karion (Istomin), Feofan Prokopovich, Mardariy Khonykov and Antioch Cantemir, he is considered one of the early representatives of Russian-language syllabic poetry before the era of Trediakovsky and Lomonosov.

Who wants to know people in the world,
Please ask me about smart people.
I myself am not a fool, but I am careful to say,
So that they don’t want to take me up.

Polotsk Simeon

According to Archpriest Georgiy Florovsky, a researcher of the history of Russian theological thought and culture, “a rather ordinary Western Russian reader, or scribe, but very dexterous, resourceful, and controversial in everyday affairs, who managed to stand high and firmly in the puzzled Moscow society as a piita and a literate writer, as a learned man for all sorts of assignments.”

Born in 1629 in Polotsk, which at that time was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

He studied at the Kiev-Mohyla Collegium, where he was a student of Lazar Baranovich (Bishop of Chernigov from 1657), with whom he remained close throughout his life.

Is there any amount of faith in piety? Without measure.
A lover of the Lord's commandments? The keeper...
...What is he talking about the humble? Honors.
Is he a seeker of wisdom? Money-grubbing...
(about the virtue of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich)

Polotsk Simeon

Perhaps, while studying at the Vilna Jesuit Academy in the first half of the 1650s, S. Polotsk joined the Greek Catholic Order of St. Basil the Great. In any case, he called himself “[...] Simeonis Piotrowskj Sitnianowicz hieromonachi Polocensis Ordinis Sancti Basilii Magni”).

Around 1656, S. Polotsk returned to Polotsk, accepted Orthodox monasticism and became the didaskal of the Orthodox fraternal school in Polotsk. When Alexei Mikhailovich visited this city in 1656, Simeon managed to personally present the tsar with the welcoming “Meters” of his composition.

In 1664 he went to Moscow to pick up the things of Archimandrite Ignatius (Ievlevich) who died there; however, he did not return to his native Polotsk. The Tsar instructed him to train young clerks of the Order of Secret Affairs, appointing the Spassky Monastery behind the Icon Row as the place of training.

God gave the will to eat: behold, birds fly,
Animals live freely in the forests.
And you, father, please give me your will,
I'm smart enough to visit the whole world...

Polotsk Simeon

In 1665, Simeon offered the Tsar “a greeting for the newly gifted son.” At the same time, he actively participated in the preparation and then holding of the Moscow Council for the deposition of Patriarch Nikon and was a translator under Paisius Ligarida.

On the authority of the Eastern Patriarchs, who came to Moscow on Nikon’s case in November 1666, Simeon delivered an oration to the Tsar about the need to “seek wisdom,” that is, to increase the level of education in the Moscow state.

In 1667 he was appointed court poet and teacher of the children of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. He was Fyodor Alekseevich’s teacher, thanks to which he received an excellent education, knew Latin and Polish, and wrote poetry. S. Polotsk composed the tsar’s speeches and wrote ceremonial announcements. He was commissioned to “construct” the Acts of the Councils of 1666-1667; translated the polemical treatises of Paisius Ligarides.

What am I getting in the house? What will I study?
It’s better to enrich my mind while traveling.
My fathers send the young ones from me
To foreign countries, then they don’t stay anywhere...

Polotsk Simeon

Simeon Polotsky - photo

Simeon of Polotsk - quotes

God gave the will to eat: all the birds fly, the animals live freely in the forests. And you, father, please give me the will, I will make my existence intelligent, to visit the whole world...

Simeon of Polotsk is an outstanding figure of Slavic culture of the 17th century. Well-read and energetic, he studied philosophical sciences and developed Russian enlightenment.

Having studied a number of sciences, the simple monk of Polotsk was noted as a teacher and educator. He achieved success in poetry and drama.

He was also interested in art, medicine, astrology and more. He preferred to be close to the king and his family instead of a brilliant church career.

Years of life

Samuil Gavrilovich Petrovsky - Sitnyanovich was born in December 12th, 1629. Date of death: August 25th, 1680.

Biography

Born in the Belarusian city of Polotsk, Principality of Lithuania. In the Petrovsky-Sitnianovich family, besides Samuel, there were four more children: three boys and a girl. He remained in people's memory as Simeon of Polotsk.

Late 1640s - visited the Kiev-Mohyla Collegium.

He constantly maintained friendly relations with his teacher, Lazar Baranovich, who became Bishop of Chernigov in 1657.

First half of 1650 - graduated from the Polish Vilna Jesuit Academy, receiving the title of spiritual speaker. There he became a member of the Greek Catholic Order of St. Basil the Great.

Early 1660s - forced flight to Russia due to denunciations of people sympathetic to the Russian state.

End of 1656 - became an Orthodox monk named Simeon in the Polotsk Epiphany Monastery and a teacher in an Orthodox school. The young teacher expanded the curriculum: he added Russian and Polish languages, the study of rhetoric and poetry. More time was spent on grammar.

1656 - Simeon presents the “Meters” composed as a greeting to the passing sovereign. The autocrat was amazed by the recitation of poetry by the poet's 12 students and invited Polotsk and other scientists to the capital.

1664 - having gone to Moscow to collect the things of the deceased Archimandrite Ignatius, he remained, on behalf of the sovereign, to train clerks for the diplomatic field.

1665 - wrote a congratulation for the king on the birth of his son, the poetic lines of which were framed by a geometric star. In the same year, at the Moscow Council, he participated as a translator and editor - publisher in the trial of Nikon and the Old Believers. In the same year, he took the place of the deceased abbot of the Zaikonospassky Monastery and organized a school where minor officials were trained.

From 1667 he was a poet at court and a teacher in the royal family. In addition, Polotsky composes the texts of speeches for the Tsar and composes drafts with ceremonial announcements. Fyodor, who ascended the throne, gave the teacher permission to establish his own printing house in 1678 with the release of the first edition - the Primer.

A year later, in 1679, Polotsk designed the position of the first Russian higher educational institution, called the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy. A year later, the theologian-philosopher died. The last place of the teacher and educator is the Zaikonospassky Monastery. The project was finalized by Simeon's student Sylvester Medvedev, and the academy opened in 1687.

Reforms

Simeon of Polotsk participated in the reforms necessary for Russia, which served as the impetus for the reforms of Tsar Peter. But his proposed transformations were of a European standard.

Church reform. Considering the Greek Orthodox Church correct, he compared it with the traditional customs of the Russian Church, calling them a prejudice. Polotsky developed a similar attention to religion during his studies in Kyiv and Volno.
Speech against the Old Believers by writing books, supporting the reformist directions of Nikon. For example, Simeon denounced the old faith in “The Rod of Government.” Labor mattered in the debate over the split. In the 20th century the treatise was criticized with allegations of insufficient arguments and weak historical preparation of the author. In addition, it talks about the difficulty of reading the treatise and the lack of demand for the work.

Spiritual life

Polotsky conveyed his spiritual practice in theological works called “The Crown of Faith” and compiled a short catechism. The preacher resumed his preaching. Simeon wrote more than 200 moral teachings. In “Spiritual Dinner” and “Spiritual Vespers” the attention of listeners is drawn to religious and moral ideals and life goals. The rest of the sermons expose evil character in general and talk about correct Christian concepts.

Unfortunately, the texts are written soullessly and formally. Two collections of sermons were published 1-3 years after the death of Polotsk. The result of the philosopher's religious work:

The Church continues to influence the moral improvement of people.
The position of religion in society is strengthened.
The influence of the church increased.

Creation

Simeon of Polotsk is the first Russian poet to use isosyllabism in writing poetry, presented in two collections. The poet made the Psalter rhymed, calling it “Rhyming.” The author also wrote poems in “Rhythmologion,” the first collection. These works glorify the life of the royal family and those close to the king. The second almanac, called “Vertograd Multicolor”, contains moral and didactic poems with instructive instructions, scientific and literary information, and educational issues. This collection is the creative peak of Polotsky as a writer.

The learned monk wrote a pastoral and 3 plays that were performed in the court theater. Thus, Moscow learned about dramatic art.

"Shepherd's Conversations"
"Prodigal son"
"Nebuchadnezzar and the Three Youths"
"Nebuchadnezzar and Holofernes."

The peculiarity of the works is the absence of allegorical figures; among the characters there are real people. In Simeon's plays the images are convincing, the composition is harmonious, and there are cheerful interludes.

Results

Being a prominent figure in art and religion, Simeon of Polotsk preached morality in society, taught to live in a divine way, bringing good. He brought poetry and drama to Russia. Made a significant contribution to the development of education. He pushed for the opening of schools and organized printing production. Created the foundation of the first Russian higher educational institution.

Memory

1995 - issue of a Belarusian postage stamp dedicated to the educator
2004 - erection of a monument in Polotsk
2008 - publication of Rassolov’s historical novel about Simeon of Polotsk
2013 - the book “The Rod of Government” returned to Belarus.

The gray-bearded old man who looks at us from the 19th century engraving was given only half a century of earthly life. But among the famous Belarusians, this native of Polotsk occupies an exclusively unique place. In the turbulent 17th century, full of changes in geopolitics and long wars, he managed to light a bright and multi-colored fire of enlightenment in Moscow, in the royal chambers, which did not go out with time and only flared up with renewed vigor.

And also, according to the poet Vasily Trediakovsky, he was the first Russian poet.

Doctor of Philology, chief researcher at the Institute of World Literature named after. A.M. Gorky RAS Lidiya Sazonova.

"Simeon Gavrilov's son"

In 1629, Samuil Petrovsky-Sitnyanovich was born in Polotsk, his further life developed as in the famous song: “I changed cities, I changed names.” Lidia Ivanovna, how did this wonderful man manage to escape from the obscurity to which he was supposedly doomed?

The nickname Polotsky, given to him in Moscow, stuck with him forever and so strongly that it is perceived as a surname, hence the widespread mistake of calling him “S. Polotsky” or simply “Polotsky”. But we don’t say “E. Rotterdam” or “F. Assisi”. He was a monastic writer, and monks are usually called by name; in this case it is correct: Simeon or Simeon of Polotsk. He did not forget his native, “pure” Polotsk even in his declining years, addressing his pupil, the young Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, with the following verses in the second half of the 1670s:

I left my fatherland, my relatives went away,
I surrender myself to your royal grace.

Things get more confusing with names. Having accepted monasticism in the Polotsk Epiphany Monastery in 1656, Samuel became Simeon. The middle name of our hero is still confused to this day, choosing between Gavrilovich and Emelyanovich. But back in 1988, I and a well-known specialist from the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Mikhail Robinson, managed to prove that his father’s name was Gabriel, and his stepfather’s name was Emelyan. Our hero signed himself this way: “Simeon Gavrilovich” or “Simeon Gavrilov’s son” 1 . And in the 1990s, the Belarusian historian Mikhail Gordeev found in the deed book of the Polotsk magistrate for 1656-1657 an important document - the will of the mother of Simeon of Polotsk, Tatyana Sheremet. It follows from it that the double surname of Simeon Petrovsky-Sitnyanovich, known from sources, is the surname of his father, while the surname of Emelyan’s stepfather is Sheremet 2.

Perhaps the family was a merchant - Polotsk at that time was widely known as a trading city on the Western Dvina. The Petrovskys were definitely Polotsk merchants, mentioned in sources together with the Skorins, from whom came the famous pioneer printer Francis Skorina, who printed his first book in Prague exactly 500 years ago, in 1517.

Simeon of Polotsk, in fact, was the direct successor of the work of his glorious and highly learned countryman.

But if it weren’t for the thirst for knowledge and the erudition gained in works, we would, at best, have learned about Samuil Gavrilovich Petrovsky-Sitnyanovich from some archival file about litigation...

The cities of that time were small - for example, in the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania - Vilna, according to modern researchers, in his time there were hardly more than 20 thousand people, and socially close to Simeon "merchants and artisans - Lithuanians or Rusyns - the ancestors of today's Belarusians - made up the main Vilna contingent" 3. Polotsk was almost certainly smaller, and at that time its unknown native could only become a popular city by choosing the right cities for study and life. Our hero, in fact, did just that: the cities of study of enlightened wisdom became Kyiv and, apparently, Vilna, the city of life's success - Moscow.

Wars were a frequent occurrence at that time, but the great war between Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which lasted from 1654 to 1667, was reflected clearly and clearly in the minds of Simeon and his contemporaries. If the troops of Ivan the Terrible had already entered his native Polotsk in 1563, then in the summer of 1655 the Moscow army took Vilna for the first time. Military upheavals can dramatically change both public consciousness and the fate of an individual, and outline the contours of future regions and countries. This is what happened with the Belarusian lands and with Simeon himself during this war.

"Rejoice, Belarusian land!"

But it was precisely at this time that the Belarusian lands began to be called Belarusian. For example, a historian from Polotsk, Sergei Shidlovsky, believes that the name “Belaya Rus” “consistently began to be used in relation to the modern Belarusian territory precisely at the Moscow court. The fact that this name was assigned to the current Belarusian territory may also have a certain merit due to Simeon of Polotsk, teacher of the Moscow kings" 4.

It is worth noting that it was after the capture of Vilna that the Moscow royal title was supplemented with a new formula of “White Russia”.

The famous Russian historian, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Boris Florya calls the key events of that war the capture of Polotsk and Vitebsk, which in the eyes of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich were even more important than the desired return of Smolensk: “And Smolensk is not as annoying to them as Vitepsk and Poltesk, because the passage along the Dvina to Riga has been taken away" 5 . It is not at all by chance that both Vitebsk and Polotsk in the summer of 1656 prepared so carefully for the arrival of the Moscow sovereign. The previous royal visit to Polotsk, made by Ivan the Terrible, turned out to be tough and harsh. Now it was beneficial for both parties, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and his new Polotsk and Vitebsk subjects, to come to an agreement and meet each other solemnly.

In the summer of 1656, Simeon, who had just become a monk, a teacher at the fraternal school at the Polotsk Epiphany Monastery, decided to take a different path - he turned his attention to Orthodox Moscow, hoping for its victory in the great war. Many of his other fellow countrymen did the same - some of the local nobles, the “Polotsk gentry”, took part in Alexei Mikhailovich’s campaign against Riga 6 . 27-year-old Simeon, the same age as the king, distinguished himself in another field, verbal. Already fairly skilled in the art of rhyming (his first known poem dates back to 1648), he and his twelve youths inventively met the Tsar with poems in Vitebsk, and then, together with other teacher-poets Ignatius Ievlevich and Filofei Utchitsky, in their homeland in Polotsk.

Piit and the Enlightener

- But Alexey Mikhailovich was not used to eloquent praise in Moscow...

The king and his retinue were sincerely delighted and amazed by the thoughtful ceremony of reciting specially composed verses. They were called “Meters for the coming to the pure city of Polotsk... of the Tsar and Grand Duke Alexy Mikhailovich” and created the impression that all new subjects were rejoicing at the appearance of the sovereign: “Rejoice, Belarusian land!” This was a new action, unfamiliar to the Russian Tsar - fashionable, progressive, completely Western 7 .

Simeon was noticed. Moscow, which nicknamed him Polotsk, gave the young monk not despair, but hope. At a time when a cautious fascination with Western customs that did not affect the Orthodox faith was becoming fashionable in the royal family, the poet and teacher received a great chance in life, which he took full advantage of. IN. Klyuchevsky vividly described this mood: “In Moscow we felt the need for European art and comfort, and then for scientific education. We started as a foreign officer and a German cannon, and ended with German ballet and Latin grammar” 8 .

In 1660, Simeon and his youths visited Moscow for the first time, and their recitation of praise to the Tsar was now heard in the Kremlin:

Without you there is darkness, like in a world without the sun.
Always shine on us and be a defencist
From everyone the enemy.

Mentor of princes and princesses

As Sergei Shidlovsky aptly noted, “Belarusians in Moscow became... provocateurs of change” 9 . How did our hero manage to become such a person?

From 1664, Simeon, now Polotsk, settled in Moscow until the end of his days. Alexei Mikhailovich was also pleased with the witty praise, to which the learned Belarusian was quick and quick to respond - especially on joyful occasions, such as the birth of Tsarevich Peter in 1672, for whom he predicted a great future. But the functions of the court poet in the fast and high Moscow career of the Polotsk resident were not the only ones - the royal court was in dire need of scholarship and that same Latin grammar. Here Simeon was also in his place - as the Soviet historian Lev Pushkarev noted, “he was a teacher all his adult life - first at the fraternal Epiphany school, then at the Moscow Zaikonospasskaya school and, finally, he became a mentor to the royal children” 10.

Simeon was involved in the education and upbringing of Tsarevich Alexei, the future Tsar Fyodor and the future princess-ruler Sophia. When it was necessary to choose a mentor for the young Tsarevich Peter, the future Peter the Great, he was instructed to examine clerk Nikita Zotov for this role.

Simeon’s poem “The Presentation of the Book of the Crown of Faith” captures an interesting episode. 13-year-old Princess Sophia, having learned that the teacher wrote the book “The Crown of Faith” (1670-1671) - a body of theological knowledge about the world order, “diligently” read the working manuscript, “I was among the rabble” (by the way, this is the first in Russian literature certificate of the draft as a stage of creative work), and ordered the production of a white copy:

You usually read church books
and seek wisdom in your father's treasures.
Having realized that the book is new
pissing, even the spoken Crown of Faith,
You wished to contemplate it yourself
and, when I was still a rabble, read diligently.
And, having learned the usefulness of being in spirituality,
You ordered him to arrange it cleanly 11.

Both manuscripts have been preserved - both the draft and the white. These lines reveal the trusting nature of the relationship between teacher and student, speak about the extraordinary abilities of the young princess and the thorough training that his charges received under the leadership of Simeon.

And in 1679, for the seven-year-old Tsarevich Peter, a wonderful primer with moralizing verses was published in the printing house founded by Simeon in the Kremlin:

As a young boy, learning from childhood,
The letters of the nobility and the mind of the nobility.

The “pleasant teacher,” to the envy of many, was brought closer to the court. He became the first to receive royalties for literary work. The royal favor made him the owner of sables, and a “green atlas,” and very expensive books at that time, the number of which by the time of his death exceeded 600. Simeon was the owner of the largest library in Moscow at that time in many European languages. An excellent catalog gives an idea of its composition; it was compiled by the English scientist Anthony Hippisley and RGADA employee Evgenia Lukyanova 12 . Most of these books have survived and can be viewed.

Our contemporary

In the recent era of typewriters, such an abundant production of poetry and texts was often considered graphomania, but in Internet times one can see in this daily, good and varied creativity the manners of the first blogger in our history. So how modern is Simeon of Polotsk these days?

Life in the capital, it would seem, was a success - everything that our hero wanted to see in Moscow, he saw. He did not have to worry about his safety, and difficult times passed him by, but his brother, Hieromonk Isaac, was beaten to death by archers in the Trubchevsky Monastery in 1674. Simeon could afford the lifestyle he desired only: according to his student Sylvester Medvedev, he wrote 8 double-sided sheets of paper every day.

At the same time, they also saw everything that they could see in Moscow from Simeon. Poems in the shape of a heart, a star, a cross, rays united together by thousands of verses - none of his contemporaries in the Russian capital of that time knew how or could even imagine. No one even thought of the idea of their own censorship-free printing house or an “academy” like a university. The Kremlin printing house published the “Rhyming Psalter,” which Lomonosov called “the gates of his learning.” Simeon developed the main provisions of the project for organizing the first higher school (academy) in Moscow. Seven years after his death, in 1687, the idea was embodied in the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy.

Not everyone liked his position - a simple hieromonk, and his students were the royal children. Lifetime literary polemics grew into accusations that did not find any confirmation. All this is connected with the struggle for power between the supporters of Princess Sophia and Peter. It led to the fact that his student and executor Sylvester Medvedev became the first Russian poet to lay down his head on the chopping block. Simeon's legacy, kept by Sylvester, was hidden in a chest in the patriarchal sacristy. In fact, Simeon's manuscripts containing poetic texts were removed from circulation.

In the 19th century, the figure returned to historical space: the first biographies appeared. In 1953, the first scientific edition of selected poems by the poet was published; it was prepared by the outstanding researcher of ancient Russian literature Igor Eremin in the series “Literary Monuments”.

A new, even larger-scale revival is taking place before our eyes. In recent years, Simeon of Polotsk is in more and more demand - his personality attracts not only Russian and Belarusian, but also serious Western scientists; large-scale editions of his works have already been published (including with the participation of the Permanent Committee of the Union State) - an example of this has been published in two editions (2015, 2016) majestic heraldic poem "Russian Eagle".

A wise and creative man from the 17th century remains our contemporary. And it is symbolic that the monument to him in Polotsk, erected in 2004, is located opposite the main local cinema called “Motherland”.

1. Robinson M.A., Sazonova L.I. Notes on the biography and work of Simeon of Polotsk // Russian literature. 1988. N 4. S. 134-141.
2. Gordeev M.Yu. New data for the biography of Simeon of Polotsk: the will of the mother of the enlightener // Slavonic Studies. 1999. N 2. P. 37-47.
3. Gerasimova I.V. Under the rule of the Russian Tsar: the sociocultural environment of Vilna in the middle of the 17th century. St. Petersburg, 2015. P. 33, 48-49.
4. Shydloysk S.A. Kaardynaty paustalaga // Antalogiya suchasnaga belaruskaga myslennya. St. Petersburg, 2003. pp. 314-327.
5. Florya B.N. The Russian state and its western neighbors (1665-1661). M., 2010. P. 17.
6. Ibid. P. 88.
7. Sazonova L. The most Belarusian of Russian poets // http://www.postkomsg.com/history/208394.
8 Klyuchevsky V.O. Russian history course. Part 3. M., 1916. P. 362.
9. Shydloysk S.A. Decree. Op.
10. Pushkarev L. Simeon of Polotsk // Zhukov D., Pushkarev L. Russian writers of the 17th century. M., 1972. P. 244.
11. Simeon of Polotsk. Rhymelogion. - OR GIM. Synodal collection N 287. L. 395.-395ob.
12. See: Hippisley A., Luk janova E. Simeon Polockij s Library: A Catalogue. Kln; Weimar; Wien, 2005.