РОДИННА БІБЛІОТЕКА ШЕПТИЦЬКИХ У ПРИЛБИЧАХ

Abstract

The article discusses the history of the Prylbychi library in the context of the collecting activities of Counts Sheptytskyi — the parents of Metropolitan Andrey and the Blessed Hieromartyr Klymentii. The valuable book collection, founded by Count Ivan Sheptytskyi, numbered approximately 6,000 volumes, was destroyed along with almost all other art collections during the First 158 World War. The history of the collection is still largely unknown and it calls for further reserch. Found in Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv surviving copies give an idea of the bibliophilic preferences of the owners, the manifestation of which is a gold-plated heraldic superexlibris with the name of the Sheptytskyi family estate «Przyłbice». Unfortunately, the question of how to get them to the Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv, because they are devoid of any later provenance signs. It is also questionable that they continued to be part of Metropolitan Andrey’s personal library, as none of them has his own insignia or the book collections he founded, which included most of his private books — the Church Museum, the Metropolitan Library, the National Museum or the «Studion». Of particular value is the lifetime edition of the works of the theologian and theorist of oratory S. Sokolowski Concionatoris Opera (Krakow, 1591–1598) with a handwritten gift inscription by Ivan Sheptytskyi from the Prylbychi library to his son, Metropolitan of Halychyna and Archbishop of Lviv Andrey. Another old print with the heraldic superexlibris «Przyłbice» was found in the department of old prints and rare editions of the V. I. Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. This is a eulogy by J. Narolsky to the Bishop of Lviv, Galicia and Kamyanets-Podilsky Atanasy Sheptytskyi published in Lviv in 1721, framed in white suede and decorated with the coat of arms of the Sheptytskyi. Having received this edition from his parents’ book collection, Andrey Sheptytskyi handed it over as part of a personal collection of several thousand for the needs of the Stanyslaviv Chapter in 1901. The copy is marked with the first proprietary book mark of the Bishop, the coat of arms ex-libris «Library of Bishop Sheptytskyi». Keywords: book collection, Sheptytskyi, Prylbychi, old edition, heraldic superexlibris, gift inscription.