Francisk Skoryna
Among the well-known renaissance titans such as Leonardo, Petrarcha, Cervantes, Francisk Skoryna occupies his honoured position of the distinguished person of the epoch. He is known in the world history as a Belarusian poet and writer, great humanitarian, enlightener and the first Slavonic printer. Skoryna is praised among the lovers of history and literature as a national hero, the bearer of the progressive outlook and the renaissance ideas, the person, who greatly contributed to the development of Belarusian language, culture and art. His prominent figure and varied activities prove a new famous Engel's idea that, the Renaissance was the greatest progressive revolution that mankind had so far experienced, a time which called for giants and produced giants in power of thought, passion and character, in universality and learning. Francisk Skoryna was bom in a family of a petty merchant in Polotsk, then lively and thriving cultural centre of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. His father wanted him to become a merchant too, but Francis Skoryna chose the road of his own. Having received the fundamentals of the educational background in Polotsk, he goes to Krakow in 1504 dreaming of entering the University there. The examinations were successfully passed through and during the following two years Francisk studies at the faculty of the so-called "free arts". He graduates from the University two years later and receives the honoured degree of the bachelor of philosophy. But that kind of education didn't satisfy Skoryna and he makes up his mind to study further. His attention is paid mostly to the so-called "liberated arts": grammar, logic, rhetoric, astronomy, geometry, and music. In few years he receives the degree of the doctor of arts but being deeply interested in science Skoryna takes up the travel to Italy - the famous birthplace of renaissance and enters Padua University where he is taught medicine and philosophy. In 1552 Skoryna brightly passes finals and receives the degree of the doctor of medicine of Padua University. It is witnessed in the documents that... by unanimous approval of all the doctors presenting Skoryna was acknowledged fit and was allowed to run the doctor's practice. From 1512 till 1517 there is hardly any notice about Skoryna's life. We can only guess that at that time he actively prepared publications of the Bible in Belarusian. In 1517 Skoryna is in Prague. There, he prints one after another several copies of the Bible in old Belarusian, supplying those editions with his own commentaries and prefaces. The books see the world under the title "The Bible Russian, translated by a doctor Francisk Skoryna from the glorious city Polotsk, to praise the Lord and for good education of the Rech Pospolitaya people". In approximately 1520 Skoryna moves to Vilna, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania then, and founds the first printing workshop on the territory of the former USSR. There, he prints two books "The short Guide for a Voyager" and "The Apostle". The end of life Francisk Skoryna spends and works as a scientist-gardener in the royal orchard. Francisk Skoryna is an outstanding figure not only in the history of Belaru-sian literature but in all Slavonic culture. Being a talented scientist, writer, interpreter, one of the most educated persons of his time he greatly developed the arts and culture, showed the variety of human nature, touched on different problems of political, social and family life. His life became a powerful impulse for the development of all Slavonic states.