Žyrovičų evangelija, dabar saugoma Lietuvos mokslų akademijos Vrublevskių bibliotekos Rankraščių skyriuje, yra vertingas Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės XVI a. rankraštinis paminklas. Ji taip
pavadinta pagal Baltarusijos Slanimo rajono Žyrovičų kaimą, kurio vienuolyne buvo ilgą laiką. Straipsnyje apibendrinamos žinios apie Žyrovičų evangelijos saugojimo istoriją, šio rankraštinio paminklo tapybinius elementus, rašto bei kaligrafijos savybes. Jos bus pravarčios Lietuvos mokslų akademijos Vrublevskių bibliotekoje kuriamo Lietuvos knygos ir mokslo minties muziejaus Bibliopolis lankytojams – Žyrovicų evangelija yra vienas iš būsimo Bibliopolio lobyno eksponatų.
The village of Zhyrovichy in the territory of nowadays Belarus is a prominent cultural centre of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, where a monument of written culture known by the name of the Zhyrovichy Gospel had been kept for a long time. Nowadays it is held by the Manuscripts Department of the Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. It will be the first item in the treasury of exhibits displayed at the Museum of the Lithuanian Book and Scholarly Thought, which is currently being set up at the Library.
In this paper we made a conclusion that the Zhyrovichy Gospel was written not in the 15th century, as some scholars say, but in the middle (the second third) of the 16th century. Although the Zhyrovichy Gospel is deeply connected with Zhyrovichy, it was probably written somewhere else (maybe in Vilnius). It was kept in Zhyrovichy at least since the early 17th century till 19th century and then was brought to Vilnius. However, there was a short period in the late 18th – early 19th century when the Zhyrovichy Gospel was kept in Brest (it was brought from Zhyrovichy to Brest and then back to Zhyrovichy).
This monument of written culture is interesting not only because of its history, but because of its artistic quality, and particular features of its writing and calligraphy. The Zhyrovichy Gospel contains miniatures of the Four Evangelists – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The handwriting in the Gospel can only be described as a great masterpiece. In some empty places on the pages of the Zhyrovichy Gospel one can find the copies of two documents from the 17th century. These documents, as well as provenance records that occur often in the Zhyrovichy Gospel, provide us with valuable material about the history of Zhyrovichy and the history of where the Zhyrovichy Gospel was held. This masterpiece shows the importance of book culture in the territory of former Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
