Dina Lystopad, an employee of the local museum, moved to Kropyvnytsky from Izyum, Kharkiv region. Before leaving her hometown, the woman hid the most valuable thing that was in the museum – the Gospel, which is 300 years old.
She told to Suspilne TV how she hid the book.
According to the National Security Council, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Izyum received the most airstrikes — 476. The city was under occupation from April to September. The woman was able to leave in March. Now he works in the Kropyvnytsky Museum of Local Lore.
"The part of the city that was under the protection of Ukrainian soldiers was subjected to devastating attacks by the Russians – aircraft, artillery, grads. The Russian orcs launched massive attacks, and no vehicles could enter this territory. And then, a small bus was coming, and I jumped out on the road and started waving my hands. The guys from there are shouting: "go, go!." My son, his fiancee, my mother, and my dog ran out of the basement. I hid the cat and five rats under my jacket. That's how we got out."
In Izyum, together with colleagues from the local museum of local lore, they saved a printed Gospel in the silver and gilded salary of 1707, published by Hetman Ivan Mazepa.
"The salary deserves special attention-it is silver with gilding, in the Ukrainian baroque style. We started hiding the most valuable things. In the first place, we hid precious metals, such items with special value, including the Gospel. It has only been published twice in the entire history of book printing."
She shared what tricks were used to prevent the Russians from finding the Gospel. "Many people knew about this book. If this information reached the orcs, they could look for it in the museum. That's why we put a book in the showcase that resembled it a bit. I believe that looters and Russians did not notice the difference, and thus the collection was rescued."
Now the rescued Gospel is in storage under the protection of the military.
After the liberation of Izyum from the Russian occupation, Dina Lystopad visited there to collect family photos. She plans to live in Kropyvnytskyi.
Izyum Museum of Local Lore was founded in 1920 by archaeologist Mykola Sibilyov. During the Second World War, part of the institution's collection and building were destroyed. The altar Gospel is a gift from Peter the Great to the Transfiguration Cathedral of Izyum. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the museum displayed objects from the Middle Ages, Cossack times, a Numismatic Collection, sketches by Sergei Vasilkovsky and other artists, and so on.