THE LIBRARY OF THE DIONISIEV-GLUSHITSKY MONASTERY AT THE TIME OF ITS FOUNDER

Abstract

This article presents a publication and a study of the list of 33 books recorded in the Testament of St. Dionisy, the founder of the Pokrov Glushitsky Monastery. The Testament was written at the end of 1435, about a year and a half before Dionysius’s death. None of the books named in the Testament are identical with any manuscripts preserved in modern libraries and archives. This study shows that the assortment of books collected in the monastery was far from accidental. The books were selected in order to cover a wide variety of monastic activities and topics, such as the performance of the liturgy, occasional offices and prayers, readings about monastic rules, and edificatory texts.