Periodic Scientific Readings named after Academician Yevhen Lazarenko were offered by his students and followers from the Department of Mineralogy of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv and Ukrainian Mineralogical Society. The corresponding decision was made by the participants of the scientific conference (1997) dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Ye. Lazarenko. After all, perpetuating the memory of outstanding scientists and assessing the importance of their contribution to the development of basic science is impossible without scientific forums organized in their honour. Eleven such Scientific Readings have already taken place, in which scientists, teachers, geologists-practitioners, graduate students and students of Ukraine and other countries took part. Participants of the Readings discussed various problems of mineralogy and related sciences (crystallography, geochemistry, petrography, the study of mineral deposits, etc.) and identified the role of Ye. Lazarenko and his Scientific Mineralogical School in the development of mineralogy in Ukraine and abroad, because, being patriot of Ukraine, Yevhen Kostiantynovych believed that science has no borders. Almost all Readings were thematic, dealing with the problems of regional and genetic mineralogy, mineralogical crystallography, applied mineralogy, history of science, as well as various aspects of space mineralogy, mineral ontogeny, thermobarogeochemistry, biomineralogy, technological and ecological mineralogy. Their materials have been published in separate editions and in the “Mineralogical Collection”, founded by Ye. Lazarenko. The results of the research presented during the Academician Yevhen Lazarenko Scientific Readings and published in different editions are extremely diverse and important both from a theoretical and applied point of view. Undoubtedly, they significantly enriched the mineralogical science not only in Ukraine but also in general, and testified to the fundamental nature of the scientific heritage of the outstanding scientist of the twentieth century – Academician Yevhen Lazarenko. Key words: Academician Yevhen Lazarenko, Scientific Readings, mineralogy, scientific directions of modern mineralogy, history of science, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv.

The Lviv (1944–1969) and Kyiv (1969–1978) periods of the life and creative path of Academician Yevhen Lazarenko is briefly analysed. His contribution to the development of almost all contemporary fields of mineralogy (most of which he started), such as regional mineralogy, theoretical problems of mineralogy, genetic mineralogy, cosmic mineralogy, mineralogical crystallography, applied mineralogy, history of science is characterized. The most significant achievements of Ye. Lazarenko in the development of mineralogy in general and Ukraine in particular are noted. They are reflected in hundreds of scientific articles, ten fundamental monographs, including the solo books “Fundamentals of Genetic Mineralogy” (1963) and “Experience of Genetic Classification of Minerals” (1979), six editions of a textbook on mineralogy (three – in Russian, two – in Ukrainian and one – in Chinese), Ukrainian-RussianEnglish “Mineralogical Dictionary” (1975, co-author O. Vynar). Thanks to Ye. Lazarenko's active work, such professional periodicals as “Mineralogical Review” (published since 1947) and “Mineralogical Journal” (since 1979), as well as periodical thematic collections “Questions of Mineralogy of Sedimentary Formations”, “Mineralogy of Sedimentary Formations”, and “Regional and Genetic Mineralogy” appeared in Ukraine. Perhaps the greatest achievement of Ye. Lazarenko is the creation of a powerful Ukrainian mineralogical school, which is quite active in Ukraine today and bears his name. The scientist left an unsurpassed legacy, which is an integral part of the golden fund of Ukrainian science and culture. Lazarenko's period of mineralogy development is rightly called the golden age of mineralogy in Ukraine.