Keywords: statistics; demographics; diaspora; Bulgarian Uniates; Catholicism; Macedonia; Ottoman Empire; Bulgarian Exarchate; Order of the Lazarites; Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul;
After the Congress of Berlin (1978) which divided the Bulgarian lands, the bulk of the Bulgarian Catholics remained within the Ottoman Empire – mostly in Macedonia and less in Eastern Thrace. Using interdisciplinary methodology, the study traces the geographical distribution, size and demographic indicators of the Bulgarian Catholics (respectively Uniates) in Macedonia in the period 1879-1912, which has not been a subject of specialized scientific research so far. For this purpose it analyzes the above mentioned parameters according to official statistics of the Ottoman Empire, data of the Bulgarian Exarchate, Catholic data (such as the mission of the Lazarites, etc.), and Greek and Bulgarian official sources. It presents the differences in the national statistics about the number of Bulgarian Uniates and the attempts to manipulate the data by the Greek and Turkish side with the aim to demonstrate their “real” nationality. Last but not least it traces statistically traced the waves of ebb and flow of the Uniate movement in the 19th-20th centuries. As a result, the conclusion is made that although the registered outflow from the union in the late 19th – early 20th c., on the eve of the First Balkan War (1912) is observed strengthening and certain extension of the positions of Catholicism among the Bulgarians in Macedonia. This is confirmed both by the data from Catholic sources, and those of the Bulgarian Exarchate for 1911–1912.
More...Në marrëdhënie ndaj botës reale, letërsia u zhvillua në dy boshte themelore: ajo ose është mimesis, nga Aristoteli e këndej (pra është një botë e ngjashme me botën reale), ose është krijim i një bote personale, tërësisht imagjinare dhe pa ngjashmëri me botën reale.
More...Keywords: Underglaze Monogram;Trapezitsa;patriarch Theodosius I;patriarch Theodosius II;Tarnovo.
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.
More...Keywords: Mesembria;source;Venetian Anonym from 1268;Venice;Andrea Dandolo
The article presents some comments on a source, well-known to the researchers of the medieval Bulgarian history under the name “Venetian Anonym from 1268”, which tells the story about the relics of St. Theodore found in the city of Mesemvria in 1257 and transferred to Venice. The comparative analysis of numerous other sources from the period makes me conclude that the data presented in the Anonym raise serious doubts in their authenticity. It also found out that the earliest securely dated text presenting the story of that event was a “communication” from the well-known chronicle of the Doge of Venice, Andrea Dandolo composed in the 40’s of the 14th century. It seems that the story of the “Venetian Anonym from 1268” accepted until now as authentic is a beautiful, but politically motivated fabrication of the Doge of the Republic Andrea Dandolo.
More...Keywords: Samujil Bakačyč; autographs; Aga Landos; Damaskenos Stoudites; Miracles of The Theotokos
Samujil Bakačyč was an Athonite man-of-letters who worked in the last quarter of the 17th century and was famous for his translations into Church Slavonic, most of which are known from single autographs. Among the works he translated, there were two of the most popular Greek anthologies – Thesauros by Damaskenos Stoudites (Venice, 1557/8) and Hamartolon soteria by Agapios Landos (Venice, 1641). While Bakačyč’s version of the latter, and especially of its third part – Miracles of The Theotokos – gained great popularity among the South Slavs, his 1691 translation of the Thesauros, although declared by him in a title page, has been so far known as partial and including a few vitae. The article aims to present two newly identified autographs of Samujil Bakačyč. They reveal some interesting details from the textual history and dissemination of the cycle of The Theotokos’ Miracles and shed light on the question about the real scope of his translation of the Thesauros.
More...Keywords: miniature wood carving; biblical motifs
Contemporary miniature wood carving and its place on the scene of visual arts today. The main themes and motifs in the miniature carvings by Kiril Tomanov are discussed, as well as the materials used by the author. The article analyzes the complex compositions which the artist has made in order to creatively interpret biblical narratives.
More...Keywords: Interpretation of Liturgy; Byzantine mistagogy; short epitomes; South Slavic translation; Constantine of Kostenets
The focus of this report is the still-unexplored Interpretation of Orthodox liturgy, attested in two copies: first in manuscript No. 88 from the collection of Obolensky (201), State Archive of Russian Federation (Moscow), the second in manuscript No 52 of 1567, from the Archive of Baltazar Bogisić in Cavtat. The two manuscripts contain proven original works of Constantine of Kostenets (1380–1431). The author analyzes the structure and content of the interpretation and comments on it as a source for the history of Liturgy – from the point of view of the data concerning the liturgical features described in it. It can be concluded that the basis of texts in MS No 88 and MS Bogishić 52 is a late composition of Byzantine mystagogy, which, in turn, means that the time of implementation of the South Slavic translation should be dated no earlier than the end of the 12th century. This is one of the many short epitomes created during the Second Bulgarian Kingdom as a result of the secondary reduction of the original extensive commentary. A detailed investigation and the text-critical edition will be forthcoming.
More...Keywords: Church; frescoes; icons; Archangel Michael
The article examines the composition Archangel Michael takes the soul of the rich in fifteen Orthodox churches from the territory of Southwestern Bulgaria. The scenes are frescoed by representatives of various art centers. They date mainly from the middle and second half of the XIX century. The analysis of the iconographic program reveals the interest of local painters in this plot and its place in interior decoration.
More...Keywords: St Mary Magdalene; exorcism; post-Byzantine art; Pimen of Zographou; Linotopi artists; Cretan School; Pentecostarion Cycle; murals
The paper deals with several sixteenth- and seventeenth-century mural representations from different Balkan regions, illustrating Christ Expels Seven Demons from Mary Magdalene as an individual scene. The representations can be grouped in two categories based on the iconographic interpretation of the subject. The first one includes those in the Church of Prophet Elijah (1550) in Sofia and churches associated with the work of St Pimen of Zographou: the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Zervat (1603, Albania), the Church of St Theodore Tyron and St Theodore Stratelates in Dobarsko (1614), the Monastery of St Nicholas in Seslavtsi (1616). The iconography of these four monuments is as a whole very reminiscent of other scenes of healings by Christ. The scene is placed in the context of the Pentecostarion cycle. The second group includes monuments painted by the artists from Linotopi, especially by Nicholas: the Monastery of the Dormition in Spilaio near Grevena (1649); the Monastery of the Transfiguration in Dryovouno (1652) and the Church of St Demetrius in Palatitsion (1570; 17th century). The general iconography here reminds of the healings of demon-possessed, while the iconographic characteristics of Mary Magdalene are akin to those of St Mary of Egypt. The scene is placed among those illustrating the Miracles and Parables. In the Hermeneias of Dionysios there is no description of the scene, although it is included as a title in Πήγαι in the Divine Works and Miracles of Christ. Probably Dionysios of Fourna was familiar with representations on the subject. For the time being we can only assume that a representation of this scene has existed before 1550, i.e. before it was painted at the Monastery of Iliyantsi.
More...Keywords: Holocaust; Albania; Kosovo; North Macedonia
During the Holocaust, the Jewish population and about 2,000 Jewish refugees found protection and support in Albania, from the Albanian population and from parts of the Albanian government. Very few Jews became victims of German persecution or the war in Albania. About 450 Jews who lived in the German-occupied Northern Kosovo or had fled there were deported and murdered in 1941/42. The Italian occupiers of Kosovo deported 51 Jewish refugees in early 1942 to the Germans. They also were mostly murdered. After the German occupation in September 1943, German forces arrested – mainly through the Albanian SS “Skanderbeg”-Division – almost 600 Jews and deported them to concentration camps, where many were murdered. Few Jews lived in the Italian-occupied western part of today’s Republic of North Macedonia. A substantial number of Jews escaped through the region to Albania, mostly with help from the local population.
More...Keywords: Latin literature; Christianity; military work; Christian life; asceticism
There are in the epistolary corpus of the great Latin Christian poet and writer of the 5th century Paulinus of Nola († 431) two letters to a soldier whose name is Crispinianus, which reveal the author’s outlook on military service (militia). This paper discusses the language and style of those letters. It also seeks out the arguments against military service and examines the way they are constructed. According to Paulinus, militia saeculi is not compatible with a fulfilling Christian life. The last section of the article examines the character, specifications and goals of the Christian alternative of military work: the work for Christ, also referred to as militia – militia Christi.
More...Keywords: 17th century; judicial system; Mostar; Muhammad Nergisî; letters;
Muhammad Nergisî, a qadi, an ambitious munshi (an author of literary letters), born in Sarajevo to the family of Nergiszâde, left his mark in the irst decades of the 17th century with his professional work and the literary artistry of his insha-style. In more ways than one, he is a typical intellectual of his time, troubled with social contradictions and faced with the social reality. Over the course of his professional engagement in provinces, he strove to ind self-fulilment in the symbiosis of his professional orientation and his literary talent without concealing his ambition, dissatisfaction and unease. In his twenty-ive years long judicial career, in 1621 he was appointed a qadi in Mostar, among other cities of the Ottoman Empire. His letter from Mostar addressed to Rumeli kazasker will be presented together with the accompanying interpretation of the letter’s content, but also the context in which the letter was composed, as well as the complex socio-political environment in which such letters were written, along with their purpose.
More...Keywords: icons from the collection at NCMHA; priest Nikola from Teteven' the demolished St Archangel Michael Church in Sofia; Vratsa; Etropole
The article is dedicated to the icon of Archangel Michael Wrests the Soul of the Sinner from the National Church Museum of History and Archaeology (NCMHA). The icon has been published in numerous articles which contain various types of evidence about its origins. The analysis of the historical evidence shows that perhaps the icon was ordered for the demolished in the 19th century St Archangel Michael Church in Sofia. The study focuses also on three other icons: Deesis with Apostles (NAIM, Inv. № 190 кс), The Virgin with the Christ Child on a throne and prophets (NAIM, Inv. № 191 кс) and a part of an iconostasis frieze (NCMHA, Inv. № 3377).The analysis shows that most probably the four examples originated from one and the same iconostasis and were painted at the same time in 1703 by the priest Nikola from Teteven and his team. Another alley of research is an analysis of its stylistic features which indirectly relate it to a group of icon works from the regions of Vratsa and Etropole, created at the end of the 17th and the very beginning of the 18th century.
More...Keywords: Church Slavonic during the Ottoman period; sixteenth-century literacy in the Balkans; paleography; codicology; Rumi-Hatai patterns.
Two sixteenth-century translations of Treasure, made soon after its first edition in 1557–1558, mark a return to active literary pursuits in the eastern part of the Balkans after the Ottoman invasion two centuries earlier. NBKM432, an anonymous miscellany, containing the earliest preserved record of the Sredna-Gora translation, provides evidence of its state three consecutive handwritten copies after the translation was made. The article reviews the manuscript’s history, content and formatting, as well as its paleographic, codicological, artistic and orthographic characteristics through the prism of the conclusions reached by the textual study of its components ascending to the Sredna-Gora translation: seven homilies by Damaskēnós Stoudítēs and two by Theophánēs Eleavoûlkos. The article fixes the timeframe, within which this miscellany was produced, in the 1580s–1590s and concludes that the Sredna-Gora translation must have taken place – most likely during the 1570s or 1580s – in a scriptorium of unknown whereabouts within the Tarnovo Diocese, which belonged to the cultural centres that had preserved to some extent the pre-Ottoman Tarnovo cultural heritage and the output of which displayed a preference for certain formatting and decorative solutions.
More...Keywords: inscriptions; Odessa Damaskin № 38 (64); V. I. Grigorovich; Bulgarian cultural history; onomastics; Svishtov
The article is devoted to the inscriptions found in the Odessa Damaskin № 38 (64). The manuscript is part of a collection of manuscripts of Viktor Grigorovich the prominent, professor of Slavik history and literature. As a specific subject of the research, the author uses several inscriptions of significant value, that provide information about the history of the book. The purpose of the article is to contribute to the history, localization and existence of a specific written monument, which will enrich the knowledge of Bulgarian linguistic, literary, cultural and ecclesiastical history during the period.
More...Keywords: Europe/the West; Serbian anti-Occidentalism; Slavophilia; the Pan-Slavonic idea;
The article presents the most representative cultural texts and opinions of Serbian intellectuals of the 20th century that formed the anti-Occidentalism trend (and which were partly based on earlier foundations). The article focuses on the mid-war period and the opinions that strengthen the antithesis of Serbia – (Slavia) – Europe, which were mostly rooted in a version of Russian Slavophile thought. It juxtaposes the basic topos of Europe (the messianic and missionary version of Europe) as “the rotten West” with the concepts of Serbian organicists. Clear anti-European and anti-Western reflections can be found in many contemporary attempts to redefine the native tradition, as well as in the more modern, updated opinions of Serbian intellectuals active at the end of the 1990s. In many of these debates, this tradition is seen as “un-European”, as being a synthesis of cultural motifs of the East and the West, or as emanating from the Pan-Slavonic idea.
More...Keywords: social media; linguo-stylistic analysis; functional stylistic analysis; stylistic devices; phonostylemes; semantostylemes; syntaxostylemes; graphostylemes
Over the last few decades, Internet-based communication has become an increasingly dominant form of information exchange. Not surprisingly, the development and use of social media have led to language change. At the same time, opportunities have arisen for linguists to explore and analyze the linguo-stylistic characteristics of social media usage. Therefore, this paper deals with the dilemmas and comments posted by the members of the Facebook and Instagram communities Jezičke nedoumice (Eng. Linguistic Dilemmas) and Dnevna doza pravopisa (Eng. A Daily Dose of Standard Serbian), as well as the Krstarica forum Jezik (Eng. Language). These communities were formed with the aim of solving linguistic issues and improving the linguistic knowledge of their users. Our research will focus on the nature of posts and comments on the popular social media websites, in terms of their linguistic and stylistic features. Its aim is to identify and classify these features by examining the rhetorical devices used. The collection of the corpus material relied on the presence of the following stylemes in the social media discussions on linguistic topics: (1) phonostylemes, (2) semantostylemes, (3) syntaxostylemes, and (4) graphostylemes.
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