Gnesichi, Grodno Province, Belarus, July 6, 2026
Photo: monasterium.ru An akathist book belonging to St. Sofian (Boghiu) has been found at a monastery in Belarus.
The book, a rare edition of the Akathistnik printed in Romanian Cyrillic script, is held in the library of the Lavrishevo Monastery in the Novogrudok Diocese, reports the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism of the Moscow Patriarchate.
It belonged to St. Sofian (Boghiu; 1912-2002), abbot of the Antim Monastery in Bucharest and one of the most venerated Romanian spiritual fathers of the 20th century. The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church canonized him as a confessor in 2024.
The book was identified, described, and introduced into scholarly circulation in 2025 during a survey of rare book holdings in monastery libraries, conducted as part of the creation of the Registry of Book Monuments of the Belarusian Exarchate. The edition drew attention because its endpaper preserves the elder’s personal seal, bearing the inscription: “Gift of Archimandrite Sofian Boghiu. Antim – Bucharest,” indicating that the book had been given as a gift to an unknown person or monastery.
Photo: pravoslavie.ru The Book of Akathists with a Selection of Prayers for the Piety of Every Christian is a liturgical collection in Romanian Cyrillic, first printed in the 18th century and frequently reprinted in the 18th and 19th centuries by various printing houses in Hungary and Romania. The edition contains three akathists, canons, a service, a menologion, a Paschal table, and other texts for home prayer.
After the book’s discovery in December 2025, it was cleaned, the leather of its binding was softened, and it was placed in a case made of acid-free cardboard produced at the National Library of Belarus.
How the rare book, which belonged to St. Sofian, came to the Lavrishevo Monastery remains unknown.
The find was made possible through the project to create the Registry of Book Monuments of the Belarusian Exarchate, which has been carried out since late 2024 with the blessing of Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus. The project has brought to light numerous book treasures held in the parishes, monasteries, and museums of the Belarusian Orthodox Church.
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