On April 11, 2024, the Minsk Theological Academy hosted the International Scientific and Practical Conference "IV Readings in Memory of Archpriest John Grigorovich (1792-1852): historian, archaeographer, archaeologist".
In 2024, the Belarusian Orthodox Church celebrates a significant date — the 200th anniversary of the publication of the Belarusian Archive of Ancient Letters, the first collection of documents on the church and civil history of Belarus. Thanks to this collection, the beginning of Belarusian archaeography was laid as a scientific discipline designed to search, describe and publish historical documents. The compiler of the "Belarusian Archive of Ancient Letters" is Archpriest John Grigorovich, a native of the city of Propoysk (now Slavgorod) Mogilev province. After graduating from the Mogilev Theological Seminary and the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, Father John served in Gomel, Vitebsk and St. Petersburg. His works have preserved to this day a huge number of documents — the most valuable historical sources.
Readings in memory of Archpriest John Grigorovich gathered historians of the Republic of Belarus and Russia, employees of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Academy of Sciences, professors and teachers of higher educational institutions, clergy of the Vladimir, Smolensk, Minsk, Brest, Gomel, Novogrudok, Lida, Mogilev dioceses, students of theological schools, local historians.
Before the opening of the conference, a requiem mass for Archpriest John Grigorovich was celebrated in the academic church of St. Cyril of Turov. After the proclamation of "Eternal Memory", the rector of the Minsk Theological Academy, Archimandrite Athanasius (Sokolov), spoke about the deceased as an outstanding clergyman and ascetic, who selflessly fulfilled his pastoral duty until the end of his life. Then a presentation of a specially prepared exposition was held in the lobby of the library, which was presented by Archimandrite Athanasius and the head of the library I.Y. Perchenko.
After the plenary session, the work of nine thematic sections was organized.