Нов подглазурен монограм от югоизточния сектор на Трапезица
A New underglaze monogram from the South-East sector of Trapezitsa

Summary/Abstract: The monogram from Trapezitsa remains a single find from the hitherto prevailing researches onmetropolitan Tarnovo and its surrounding area. It was found in the site between church №14 and the south fortification of Trapezitsa. The monogram unfolds vertically around the letter “Т” [T]. On the right side of the vertical line of the letter “Т” [T] is written the letter “П” [P]. The remaining letters (“Д” [D], “Ч” [ТСН] and “Л” [L], as the last two are semantically related to the meaning of the letter “П” [P]), as appears from their position and size, bring additional meaning of the monogram. The graphic and proportions in the upper part of the newly discovered monogram are identical to the underglaze monogram of The Holy Theodosius of Tarnovo from the Kilifarevo monastery. Thus, most likely, the name of the person from the monogram of Trapezitsa is also Theodosius. In the context of the phenomena of underglaze monograms itself, it is most permitable to say that the monogram is connected to some of the patriarchs of Tarnovo who ruled over the patriarchy during the same period to which the underglaze monograms in general are dated back. These are two patriarchs – Theodosius I, who ruled until 1337 and Theodosius II, declared for a head of the church in the year of 1348. Up until now an underglaze monogram, related to patriarch Theodosius of Tarnovo, had not been found. The monograms, connected to patriarch Theodosius II, are quite similar to his signature in some written records – Gospel, transcribed by the priest Tetokii Psilitsa in 1348 and the record of the last sheet of the pandects of Nikon Chernogorski. The writing differs from that of the monogram from Trapezitsa. The writing of the title “patriarch” in some cases is done with the letters “П” [P] and “Х” [H], as the second letter is ad scriptum. And in other cases – the letter “A” [A] is added to the ligature. There are separate records in which the letter “П” [P] appears independently. Thus, probably, the newly discovered underglaze monogram in the south-east sector of Trapezitsa could be connected to patriarch Theodosius I or it could show an alternative way of writing the name of Theodosius II that differs from his official signature and from the group of his underglaze monograms that are so far known to us. The remaining letters “Ч” [ТСН] and “Л” [L] in the monogram, by the way of construction of the monogram itself, most likely serve an additional semantic function, not to the upper part of the monogram but more to the letter “П” [P] and its meaning in it.

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