Polotsk. Monument to Simeon Polotsky.

Samuel Gavrilovich Petrovsky-Sitnianovich, who was destined to become an outstanding theologian, poet, playwright and scientist, was born in 1629 in the ancient Belarusian city of Polotsk. Thanks to this, he received the world-famous surname Polotsky.

Simeon Polotsky belonged to the representatives of the "high" literary style of the Baroque. After receiving a good education, he took monastic vows. In addition to his native Old Belarusian, he was fluent in Latin, Polish, and Church Slavonic, in which he wrote his poems and speeches. His works, imbued with an educational and didactic spirit, brought him fame as a writer who skillfully uses the syllabic system of versification. The sermons of Simeon of Polotsk became widely known far beyond the borders of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

In 1664, he moved to Moscow, where he became an educator and spiritual mentor to the heirs of the Russian tsar, including the future Peter the Great. Simeon Polotsky prepared and published The Primer, which for a long time remained the only textbook for Russian children. According to his will, after his death, a significant part of the property was transferred to nine Belarusian monasteries, which became his last gift to the motherland and help to like-minded people.

The monument to Simeon Polotsky is a bronze figure of the writer sitting on a stone pedestal. He holds a pen and a book in his hands, symbolizing his creative potential and contribution to the development of culture and literature. Simeon Polotsky was one of the most prominent cultural figures in the history of Belarus. His work, which includes poems, songs, parables and other works, has left a deep mark on the history of Belarusian culture.