Hypatian Chronicle

(Ipatii Chronicle), the oldest extant south Russian chronicle and one of the early Russian chronicle codices. It takes its name from the Ipatii Monastery (in Kostroma) where the manuscript is located.

In addition to the Hypatian manuscript, which dates from the early 15th century and was discovered by N. M. Karamzin, the 16th-century Khlebnikov manuscript is also important in its own right. Although the two manuscripts differ markedly from each other, they both have a common written source—the south Russian chronicle codices of the late 13th century. The Hypatian Chronicle is composed of three basic parts: the first part consists of The Tale of Bygone Years with a continuation until 1117; the second part (comprising the events from 1118 through 1199) consists of the Kievan codex of the late 12th century; and the third (until 1292) for the most part contains Galician-Volynian chronicle entries. The Hypatian Chronicle is the most valuable source for the history of southwestern Rus’ prior to the late 13th century, and it is remarkable in the secular quality of a number of its narratives. Many of the Galician-Volynian entries are characterized by their vivid and figurative language, which raises the chronicle to the level of a poetic work. N. M. Karamzin, A. A. Shakhmatov, L. V. Cherepnin, V. T. Pashuto, and others have contributed greatly to the study of the Hypatian Chronicle.