00:00 Sitting in silence, Zola Lemola painstakingly copies out a religious manuscript
00:05 onto a goatskin parchment.
00:07 He says it could take him six months to complete.
00:11 But far from a burden, he sees it as a kind of communion with God,
00:15 and as his contribution to preserving a disappearing tradition.
00:19 It requires patience and focus.
00:23 We start with a prayer in the morning, a prayer at lunchtime, and we end with a prayer.
00:28 It is difficult to copy an entire book and to sit the whole day,
00:32 but because of our devotion, a light shines brightly within us.
00:36 Often, it's a collective effort.
00:41 Even the smaller books can take one or two months,
00:44 and for the bigger ones, it can be years.
00:47 The process begins with preparing the parchment, which is more durable than paper.
00:52 It's made from goatskins, which are soaked in water for several days,
00:56 and then stripped of any fat.
00:59 Finally, the hair is removed, and the skins are cut into pages.
01:03 Seemingly tedious, the process is necessary to preserve ancient writings and tradition.
01:09 Ancient parchment manuscripts are disappearing from our culture.
01:15 That's what motivated us to start this project.
01:18 Most of this literature can only be obtained in monasteries.
01:21 Only parchment manuscripts, rather than paper manuscripts, are used to conduct chants and prayers.
01:28 Most often, the manuscripts are commissioned by individuals
01:33 who donate them to churches or monasteries.
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