Many cities, towns and villages of Belarus express pride in their centuries-old histories. As an example, we have cities such as Mstislavl, which is often referred to as “the Belarusian Suzdal and Little Vilnius.” However, the bulk of Mstislavl’s history is considered anything but little or insignificant. Many roads passed through this city to other cities of the Grand Duchy of Litva. Merchants from Mstislavl conducted business with people in Kiev, Orsha, Novgorod and other such places. In the 14^th century cities such as Mogilyov, Krichev, Chausy, Cherikov and others fell within its scope of influence. In the middle of the 16^th century one of the first Orthodox Church’s Brotherhoods was established in Belarus which included a free school for children of the city’s residents where students were taught how to read and write in Belarusian. The Brotherhood established and operated a printing press and used it for educational purposes. It is not surprising to see that one native of the city, Piotr Timofeyev Mstislaviets, became one of the first eastern Slavic publishers. Also, in the 17^th century the city’s Jesuit Collective became widely known.

Categories: Асобы, Асьвета, Культура