Heirmologion

The book was created in the first half of the 19th century.

The manuscript is in two colors (black and red). The text is in Church Slavonic and znamenny (hook) notation. Foliation is absent; signatures and running heads are present. The book's decoration is complemented by a polychrome page headpiece, initials, and decorative letters in the Pomor style.

The book has wooden covers, bound in brown leather with stamped decoration: on the front, a triple frame with elements of floral and pearl ornament, its field containing a rhombus, four corner-pieces, and individual floral-vegetal elements; on the reverse, the pattern largely repeats the front, without the corner elements. On the edges of the covers are two clasps of metal and leather.

The book belonged to Yevstafii Kuznetsov.

Transferred to the museum by the Committee for State Security of the Ukrainian SSR (the "UKGB") in 1960.

Note: the Heirmologion (irmolohii, irmologion) is a unique monument of church-singing and spiritual culture, and at the same time a genuine work of book art. It is a distinctive Ukrainian-Belarusian type of East Slavic musical church collection — a compilation of sacred church chants performed during services in Orthodox churches. It is of Byzantine origin.

The book was likely created for use in the religious rites of the Old Believer tradition.