The article examines the problem of reading and understanding of the graffiti on the walls of Old Rus churches. The author analyzes the interpretations which were suggested by previous scholars to the so-called graffito on ‘Golden Easter’, or Vysotsky 1, from Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev. The strong and the weak elements of each interpretation are summed up and an original version of reading is suggested. The author suggests a new reading: “Lord, help the priest’s wife... Lord, save your slave!”.