Hundreds of mourners said goodbye to people’s poet Nil Hilevich

photo from euroradio.fm

Hundreds of people came to the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in Minsk on Friday to pay their last respects to renowned poet Nil Hilevich who passed away at the age of 84 on March 29.

Mourners slowly filed past the casket of the poet as instrumental versions of popular songs to which he wrote lyrics were played in the background, naviny.by writes.

The crowd included, among other prominent figures, Stanislaw Shushkevich, Belarus' first formal head of state; Aleh Trusau, chairman of the Frantisek Skaryna Belarusian Language Society; former Foreign Minister Piotr Krauchanka; Barys Piatrovich, chairman of the Union of Belarusian Writers; Lithuanian Ambassador Evaldas Ignatavicius; and opposition politicians Zmicier Dashkevich and Vinchuk Viachorka.

Culture Minister Barys Sviatlou and Information Minister Lilia Ananich also attended the service.

Nil  Hilevich had been the last surviving holder of the Belarusian People's Poet title since the death of Ryhor Baradulin in March 2014.