The General Menaion is a book for divine services, in which prayers to prophets, saints and apostles are recorded. It is usually united, likes the presented exhibit, with the Festive Menaion — prayers, chants and the order of divine services in honor of Jesus Christ, the Most Holy Mother of God and the most revered saints in Orthodoxy.

The word ‘Menaion’ means ‘month’ in Greek. Such books were used not only in church services, but in the reading of prayers at home and cells as well.

Hermit priests usually prayed according to the Mineyas, telling special rosaries (chetkee — in Russian), hence the second name for the books of this type — rosaries (chetyeez). The first Slavic Mineyas appeared at the end of the IX-th century, they were compiled by the disciples of Cyril and Methodius — Clement of Orchid and Constantine of Preslav.

The General Menaion is a collection of services with generalizing names: To the ‘Feasts of the Virgin’, to the ‘Feasts of the Lord’, to the ‘Reverend’, to the ‘Martyr’ or to the ‘Many Apostles’. It was supplemented by the Festive one, the chants and prayers of which had some peculiarities or contained texts missing in the other books. Such Menaion was used if there was the General Menaion in the church, but the more detailed, the Monthly one, was missing. The Festive Menaion was considered a type of the Monthly Menaion, or the Service Menaion, which consisted of 12 volumes, according to the number of months of the year. A volume contained services for every day.