"Pater lakinf alone did as mack as a -whole scientific society can do". Claprot
Nilata Yakovlevich
Bichurin (pater lakinQ was born in August, 29,1777 in
the village ofAkulevo, Cheboksarski uyezd, Kazan district,
in the family of a small clergyman.
He was ordained after graduating from Kazan
the ological seminary in 1801 and became a celibate
priest of loann Monastery. But in a year he was demoted
for violating the monastery charter and sent to Tobolsk Monastery.
In 1806 the Synod appointed him to be the head of the
Russian theological mission and archimandrite of the Sreten monastery
in Peking. And here, from 1808, a new and most important period of his life
began. He lived in China up to 1821, and during this time
he studied the Chinese language and hieroglyphics, wrote a dictionary and his
main scientific works. When he came back to Russia he brought a unique
collection of Chinese books along withhimself
But on return to Russia he was accused of allowing disturbances
in the Peking mission and, after being trialed he was
defrocked and exiled for life to the Valaam monastery. But
in spite of it all he went on with his scientific work.
The importance of it and his brilliant
knowledge of Chinese made those at power set him free after 5 years. He was
allowed to live in Alexandro-Nevski Lavra, where he
continued his work in synology.
N.Y.Bichurin made
a great contribution in the studies of Mongolia. For his outstanding work he was
elected a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1828, and in 1831 he
became a member of the Asian Society in Paris.
His outstanding synological works were
translated into various European languages. He undoubtedly played the leading
role in the world ofSynology. His last work- "The
History of the Peoples of Middle Asia" - was published in 1852. In 1853 he
died and was buried in Alexandro-Nevski Lavra in Petersburg.