Simeon Polotsky. To the 380th anniversary

Simeon Polotsky went down in history as a pedagogue and educator, poet, dramatist and preacher. He studied philosophy, natural sciences and was interested in medicine, art and other disciplines as well.

Books by Simeon Polotsky issued in the XVII–XX centuries are displayed at the exhibition. The book of collected sermons based on the Gospel stories is the most ancient (published in Moscow, 1681). The book begins with the author’s forewords written in verse and prose; the latter reveals the moral goals of the book which is designed to give spiritual pabulum to Christian souls. The book was created in three movements. At first, there was a draft manuscript written by the author. Then it was rewritten by a copyist and corrected by Simeon Polotsky. In 1681, after Simeon Polotsky’s death, the book was published.