Employees of the Foreign Intelligence Service returned a rare old book to Ukraine – the 1844 prayer book “Trebnyk” with marginalia by Metropolitan Andriy Sheptytsky.
According to Ukrinform, this was reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service.
Foreign Intelligence Service employees conducted a long-term, multi-step operation to return this exceptional historical and religious treasure with marginalia by Sheptytsky, an outstanding religious and public figure of the 20th century and leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
The old print was handed over to the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine.
One of the margins of the book contains the inscription: “Presented during the canonical visit of 1902, on May 10, in the village of Kosteniv” and the signature of Andriy Sheptytsky.
The inscription certifies that the book was used during a canonical visitation in the village of Kosteniv in the Lviv region, led by the metropolitan himself.
According to local community lore, the Trebnyk was lost during World War II, when the church was looted and part of the church archives were destroyed or scattered. The fate of the old print with Sheptytsky’s marginalia remained unknown for a long time.
The return of the copy with Metropolitan Sheptytsky’s marginalia restores one of the fragments of the country’s lost spiritual heritage. The Trebnyk is not only a monument of printing and liturgical art, but also evidence of Sheptytsky’s personal presence in the life of a particular parish.
As reported by Ukrinform, 1,528 cultural heritage sites and 2,359 cultural infrastructure objects have been damaged in Ukraine as a result of Russian aggression.
Photo: Foreign Intelligence Service
Source: Rare old print signed by Metropolitan Sheptytsky returned to Ukraine
