“Mstislav Gospel” (aprakos gospel)
Scribes: main – Alexa, painter – Zhaden
Ancient Rus’, Kiev, Constantinople, Novgorod
XII century
Parchment, ink, tempera, gold; handwriting – uncial; binding and cover - boards, velvet, gilded silver, filigree, cloisonné enamel, semiprecious stones, pearls
213 parchment leaves (35,3 x 28,6 cm)
From: until June 1551 was in the palace’s Cathedral of the Annunciation on the Hillfort (Novgorod). Transferred by Ivan the Terrible to Moscow Kremlin. In 1893 transferred from the Kremlin Cathedral of the Archangel to the Patriarchal sacristy. In November in 1917 after the artillery attack on Kremlin by Bolsheviks it was transferred to the Synodal manuscript collection. On December 14 in 1919 it was given to the museum.
Showcase 14
The Mstislav Gospel is included to the list of eight the most ancient accurately dated manuscripts of the XI – the beginning of the XII centuries, and it presents the beginning of the new stage of the development of the old Russian Christian bookishness. That manuscript is the oldest copy of so called “Russian edit” of the translation of the gospels text. The great majority of old Russian Gospel manuscripts of the XII-XIV centuries contain the text ascending to the edit of the Mstislav Gospel. Four decorated with gold miniatures of high artistic merit with gospellers depicted ascends together with miniatures from the earliest dated Russian Ostromir Gospels of 1056-1057 to one common protograph – the oldest illuminated codex of the New Testament that probably belonged to the metropolitical church - Saint Sophia's Cathedral of Kiev. The manuscript is richly decorated with ornaments – big magnificent initials with non-recurrent pattern, headpieces of old Byzantine type in enamel technique. The Mstislav Gospel was not just a sample for sacral gospels texts but itself was an all-Russian shrine.
In sake of establishing the national-level conception “Moscow is the third Rome” this codex together with ancient Novgorodian icons and relics was brought be Ivan the Terrible to Moscow and gifted to the place with the necropolis of the Russian tsars – the Cathedral of the Archangel of the Moscow Kremlin. For centuries the Mstislav Gospel was perceived as a material and spiritual nation's patrimony. One of the creators of the codex was right when he wrote at the end of his work that: “the price for that Gospel book only God knows”.
The original book cover of the XII century made in Constantinople is not remained. The Gospel was renewed in Novgorod in 1551. In that time the rich precious cover of the upper lid was created. To the silver gilded panel is applied a not high silver gilded filigree. To the same time belong enamels with images of archangels Michael and Gabriel, seraphim and cherubim, framing the centerpiece. On the filigree also are placed thirteen enamels of different times and origin: two narrow small at the low level with images of apostles James and Bartholomew completed in Byzantium in X century; five square enamels belong to the XI century (among them the image of the etimacia has an inscription in Russian: “престол г̅н” (the throne of God), and other four images: of Our Lady, John the Baptist and apostles Peter and Paul have inscriptions in Greek); six enamels are made in a shape of a kiotc (“kiotc” in Russian wood carving means a decorative element on the top of the holy doors in a shape of a small church with one or two domes) – of Russian work of the XII century: the image of God Almighty is a centerpiece and images of saints are placed along the edges of the cover: at the top – Saint George and Saint Demetrius of Solun, at the lower part – Boris, Theodore Stratelates and Gleb. The filigree is enchasing with six pearls.
The Mstislav Gospel is a masterpiece of old Russian book art and it was ordered by the outstanding ruler of Rus’ – Novgorodian and later Kiev’s grand duke – Mstislav the Great.
The Mstislav Gospel was ordered during one of turning moments of Novgorodian history that is why it is not only an outstanding piece of old Russian book art, but also it keeps memory about one of the main events in Russian history. The orderer of the Gospel prince Mstislav is a bright figure in Russian history. He was a grandson of grand duke Vsevolod (1078–1093) who was the third son of grand duke Yaroslav the Wise and Greek czarevna daughter of byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomach. His father was the eldest son of Vsevolod, grand duke Vladimir Monomach (1113–1125) and his mother was Gyda, daughter of the last Anglo-Saxon king Herald, who lived after his death during the battle with Normans and conquest of England by William the Conqueror at court of her first cousin once removed – Sweyn II of Denmark. Their marriage researchers date to 1072–1074 or 1074/5. Their first-born son Mstislav was born in Smolensk in 1076. During the baptism he got the name Theodore, and in honor of his English grandfather he was named Herald. Mstislav probably had the second font name – George, which is confirmed by several annalistic and other sources.
After a long struggle and negotiations with the Prince of Kiev in 1102 Novgorod and its lands separate out of Kiev’s lands and became an independent Principality, and Mstislav was proclaimed to be the first Prince of Novgorod. Immediately after that, in 1103, he laid the foundation of the stone church of the Annunciation in the old princely hillfort. The new church was the first stone church after a fifty-year break and the second stone church in the city after the cathedral of St. Sophia of Novgorod. At first glance, the church of the Annunciation on the hillfort is dedicated to the heavenly patron of the eldest son of Mstislav – Vsevolod, in holy baptism named Gabriel: the image of the Annunciation is placed on his seals. However, for Mstislav and Novgorodians it was also a monument to another outstanding event – the beginning of a new era in the history of Novgorod and its princely dynasties. The hillfort was the official princely residence and the symbol of princely power. Founding a new court church there, in essence, marked the origin of a local princely dynasty after years of Kiev’s mayor ruling the city. It was conceived as a monument to the establishment of political independence of Novgorod and the Union of the Prince and the city on a new basis, a kind of Annunciation of Novgorod and its new princely dynasty, the successor of which on the grand throne after Mstislav inevitable death was his son Vsevolod-Gabriel.
The date of the Annunciation Church on the Hillfort foundation – 1103 – is the lower date of creation of the gospel. According to the record at the end of the manuscript, the gospel was written by Alexa, the son of the priest Lazarus, and Zhaden, who carried out the golden titles, and most likely participated in the decoration of the codex. The highest level of execution of the entire manuscript testifies to the grand-ducal Kiev’s workshop as a place of creation of this masterpiece. From another record, it follows that the courtier Naslav was sent from Kiev to Constantinople for manufacturing the "hemepet" – a book cover with precious enamel and stones. However, none of the records not only does not express good wishes, but does not even mention the father of Mstislav, Vladimir Monomakh, who was occupying the throne of Kiev since 1113. The process of creation of the manuscript and organization of its cover production took place in Kiev. It makes impossible the absence of any mention and good wishes to the Prince of Kiev in the laudable record of the scribe to the orderer if it was Mstislav’s father. This fact indicates the possibility of writing the manuscript during the reign of his opponent and predecessor – Svyatopolk – until 1113.
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