500 Years of Belarusian Book Printing

VITEBSK, 31 August (BelTA) - A monument “Polotsk is the cradle of Belarusian statehood” will be unveiled in Polotsk, the host of this year’s Belarusian Written Language Day, on 2 September, BelTA learned from the Polotsk District Executive Committee.

The opening of the sculptural composition will become one of the highlights of the Saturday program of the holiday. The monument has been already installed on the bank of the Western Dvina River near St. Sophia Cathedral.

It consists of two parts - the bronze one and the granite one, sculptor of the composition Vladimir Pipin told BelTA. The total weight is pretty impressive. “The bronze part weighs nearly 2 tonnes. The huge boulder at the foundation of the composition is nearly 5 tonnes and a half,” the sculptor said.

The bronze panels feature the portraits of the famous historical personalities who stood at the roots of the Belarusian statehood. Among them is Prince Rogvolod of Polotsk and his daughter Rogneda, Vseslav of Polotsk, Euphrosyne of Polotsk. “The sculptural composition features six people. But of course, this is not a complete list. The list could go on. The other personalities are depicted as if covered by shields. It is clear that there are a lot of them and the composition gives this idea,” Vladimir Pipin said.

On the back of the monument there are important historical dates and cultural values such as St. Sophia Cathedral, St. Euphrosyne Monastery, the Cross of Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk and many more. “Architect Armen Sardarov decided to place the composition on the edge of the river bank where the Dvina joins the Polota,” the sculptor said.

In his words, every image depicted on the monument required a detailed study. “It took us half a year to decide on the images. I think we did well,” Vladimir Pipin said.

Polotsk will be celebrating the Belarusian Written Language Day on 1-3 September.