Rare editions on the Saint Alexander Nevsky in the Presidential Library’s collections

December 6, the Day of Remembrance Prince St. Blessed Alexander Nevsky, the Presidential Library made available on the website a digitized rare book telling about the great commander and saint.

"Life of St. Blessed Grand Alexander Nevsky, in monasticism Alexis" was written in 1871 by N. Yelagin. It explains why the prince’s fame was great during his lifetime. It describes the major battles that he had won - the battle with the Swedes on the Neva River and the Battle of the Ice with the Teutonic knights. Repelling the enemies in the West, Alexander also chased away the ambassadors of Pope Innocent IV, who offered Russia to adopt Catholicism in exchange for help in the fight against the Tartars. He chose a temporary resignation to the Horde, realizing owing to his incomprehensible historical sense that "Mongol rule oppressed the body but not the soul while Catholicism threatened to distort the very soul."

The author of the "Life..." was convinced that the reason for prince’s success in all his endeavors was the fact that he was a great saint of God. "As a faithful servant of God, says the book in digital format, he dutifully fulfilled the work entrusted to him by the Providence of God. Among the great feats he remained sincerely convinced that he did only what he had to do. Being in a high position, the more temptations Alexander had for his pride, for the delights of earthly pleasures, and for the distraction of worldly life, the more he watched over himself, kept the purity of the mind, the spirit of humility, trust in God's mercy, constant remembering about God and eternal life – he had no passion for worldly goods and pleasures. Alexander’s guardian angel on earth was his pious mother, who, loving him dearly and loved by him, lived with him."

In 1245, Alexander defeated the Lithuanians, who invaded Novgorod limits. Yelagin writes: "The defeat was so strong that not a single Lithuanian returned home to tell about their distress." However, the beginning of the battle was complicated for Russians by certain circumstances and did not promise an easy victory. Nevertheless, the Prince regarded all the attempts to win and oppress the Russians as predatory ones, and communicated the army his moral superiority over the enemy. "It’s not for the power that God stands, but for the truth!" – it is not accidental that these words are attributed to him: in the mouth of the great commander they acquire a special force. For all that Prince Nevsky undertook he did with faith in God and in the supreme justice.

Veneration of Alexander Nevsky as a saint began soon after his death in 1263, however, while he was still alive, thanks to his asceticism he became a favorite prince of the clergy. Great warrior, zealot and defender of the Russian land we remembered again in the most difficult period of our history - the Great Patriotic War.

Day of Remembrance of the great commander and saint coincided with the end of the jubilee year of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, which celebrated its 300th anniversary. The first national electronic library of Russia also took part in festivities. Thus, the Presidential Library’s Cinema Club premiered and held a discussion of the film "Alexander Nevsky Monastery – 300th anniversary: the past and the present."

Thanks to cooperation with the Alexander Nevsky Lavra the library received for digitization rare books from the library of the monastery – a fifty one volume synodal edition "Church Bulletin" that had been issued for a quarter-century, from 1888, as well as a rare book "Alexander Nevsky" published in 1942. After the digitization, the electronic copies of books will be available to readers of both libraries.

In addition, as part of the anniversary celebrations, the Presidential Library provided the Alexander Nevsky Monastery with digital copies of rare books on the history of the Russian Orthodox Church. Some of them are not only of a spiritual but also of a scientific value. In particular, the 1913 edition, "Alexander Nevsky Lavra" by Stepan Runkevich - the first major work created for the 200th anniversary of the monastery. According to Bishop Nazariy, thanks to high quality digitization of illustrations, the electronic copy of the publication will be used in the restoration work on the monastery grounds.

According to the vicar of Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Nazariy, Bishop of Kronstadt, the transfer of digitized publications by the first national electronic library initiated mutually beneficial relations connected with spiritual enlightenment and strengthening of statehood. It is expected that cooperation of the monastery and the Presidential Library will continue after the end of the anniversary celebrations.