The book is dedicated to a unique manuscript from the rich collection of the National Library "St. St. Cyril and Methodius" in Sofia - unique among the manuscripts created and preserved in Bulgaria. This is a Russian illustrated synodical, containing 146 leaves and 126 full-page miniatures. The analysis of the features of the manuscript and the watermarks on the paper allow its dating to the last quarter of the 17th century. Illustrated synodicals are a typical Russian phenomenon that has no analogues in other cultural environments. The manuscript is a collection of readings explaining the tradition of commemoration of the soul, its meaning, short stories about death, sins and ways of their redemption, about the posthumous fate of the soul, and is intended to prepare the reader to live in such a way as to be saved. This type of collection, as well as the illustrated Apocalypses, were popular in various strata of Russian society in the second half of the 17th century, when the end of the world was expected. The manuscript was in the Rila Monastery at least from the end of the 18th century, where it was passed down until the end of the 19th century as private monastic property. It fell into the hands of Bulgarian icon painters, and its illustrations played a major role in enriching the repertoire of Bulgarian art during the Renaissance.