Paper of the body text: Russian machine-made paper with stamps - 1) in f. 76, 81, 91 – stamp of the Nevskaia manufacture, St. Petersburg, had been made in 1852-1859 [ref.: Клепиков С.А. Филиграни и штемпели на бумаге русского и иностранного производства XVII-XX вв. М., 1959. № 119]; 2) other stamps are under impressions or cut off (document restoration is contemporary with the manuscript text) or unreadable. A cutout stamp (“Antichrist sign”) is a characteristic of Old Believer manuscripts. Paper used for the added texts: school notebook.
Writing style: half-uncial script by several hands. Cyrillic and Arabic pagination (scriber’s and reader’s). Decoration: headings and initials with vermillion; schematic head-pieces (f. 1, 48, 131, 154); the head-pieces imitating printed head-pieces made with a stencil (f. 26, 102, 154, 182, 196, 210, 220, 236, 245); initials with floral ornament (f. 30, 51, 72, 74, 75, 133, 135, 137, 158, 212-214, 251); end-piece in the so-called style Playing Text [игра текстом] – triangle-shaped objects (f. 67, 101, 251).
The Festal Menaion is a liturgical book containing church services for great feasts. The manuscript contains services for the Mother of God and God festivals (body text) in f. II-V (they were glued in the 2nd half of the 20th century, material – school notebook) – extracts from the Gospel of Mark and Luke. Binding was made from 2 bindings (late 17th century, early 18th century), fragments of 2 clasps. Readers’ notes and tassels. Enclosures: fragments from handwritten and printed texts about festivals, chants and heresy. Late 19th century (with texts added in the 2nd half of the 20th century).
4º, size of book blocks and binding –217 mm x 163 mm, binding size - 235 mm x 163 mm, binding height – 55 mm. 3 enclosures – Enclosure #1 – 1 f. (202 mm х 157 mm), Enclosure #2 – 2 f. (283 mm x 180 mm), Enclosure #3 – 2 f. (207 mm x 333 mm); 262 f. + f. I + 1-118 + II (texts added in the 2nd half of the 20th century) + 119-143 + III (texts added in the 2nd half of the 20th century) + 144-153 + IV-V (texts added in the 2nd half of the 20th century) + 154-257. 5 f. (enclosures); Condition: satisfactory. The manuscript was acquired by the community of Old believers-pilgrims living in the Tomsk-Chulym taiga. The manuscript has traces of old restoration (binding was changed/made). Restoration date – 2nd half of the 20th century, place of restoration – Tomsk Chulym Taiga Skit.
