Tiapinskii, Vasilii Nikolaevich

Tiapinskii, Vasilii Nikolaevich 

(also, V. N. Omel’ianovich). Born circa 1540; died circa 1604. Byelorussian proponent of cultural enlightenment and participant in the humanist reformation in Byelorussia in the second half of the 16th century.

Tiapinskii advocated the development of a national culture and opposed the polonization of the Byelorussians. He sharply criticized the clergy for their opposition to popular enlightenment. Tiapinskii set up a printing press at Tiapino, his estate in the district of Polotsk, and circa 1580 published an edition of the Gospels with parallel texts in Church Slavonic and Byelorussian. Tiapinskii was close in his political and religious views to S. Budny, although he sided with the more moderate Socinians.

REFERENCES

Dovnar-Zapol’skii, M. V. V. N. Tiapinskii, perevodchik Evangeliia na belorusskoe narechie. St. Petersburg, 1899.
Zhurauski, A. I. “Typy i asablivastsi glos u Evangelli V. Tsiapinskaga.” Pratsy Instytuta movaznaustva AN BSSR, 1960, issue 7.