Отново за резбования кръст от църквата „Св. Димитър” в Свищов

Author(s): Margarita Kujumdjieva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2015

In Bulgarian literature by far this artefact was regarded as a donation of the Wallachian Prince Matei Basarab to the Holy Monastery of Iviron on Mount Athos, which is an assumption made upon an incorrect reading of the donor’s inscription. Located on the handle of the cross, the Cyrillic inscription clearly states that the cross was commissioned by the grand treasurer Stroe and his wife Vişa and was given to the Vieroş monastery in 1642 during the days of Matei Basarab. The grand treasurer Stroe was the eminent member of the Leurdeanu Boyar family and one of the most intriguing figures on the Wallachian political stage in 17th century. During his marriage to Vişa and while he was serving as a grand treasurer, Stroe Leurdeanu made do- nations for the subsistence of certain churches and monasteries related to his wife’s family. The donor inscription on the cross commissioned precisely for Vieroş monastery is the earliest evidence for Stroe’s support of this holy place. Apart from the survey on Stroe’s cross in Bulgarian and Romanian historiography, the article deals with its present day condition, possible initial function, technical and stylistic characteristics. The wooden part of the Stroe’s cross is a work of high skilled Athonite master. The closest parallel is an identical cross which has the same proportions, technical features, and similar program and iconographical details, that is today in the collection of the state Hermitage museum. In comparison to the woodcarving, the metal cover is not of the same exquisite quality and looks heterogeneous. The frame on the face and the reverse of the cross is strongly worn out and its original look was lost as a result of the sub- sequent interventions, but the part of the mount connecting the handle with the base of the cross provides opportunities for attribution evoking associations with the production of Aegean Macedonia’s craftsmen, influenced by the Greek ateliers in the capital, who were skilful to weave motifs of the Ottoman art of the time into their works. The carving was undoubtedly made by a Greek master and we can find Greek influence on its cover. These characteristics of the object are indicative of Stroe Leurdeanu’s high rank, range of contacts and preferences.

Обкови на напрестолни евангелия - паметници на златарския център от района на Пловдив и Бачковския манастир

Author(s): Nona Petkova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2015

Eight precious Gospel covers with common typological characteristics and technology of execution are related to the production of the goldsmith centre in the region of Plovdiv and Bachkovo Monastery (its place has not been exactly determined even nowadays). They belong to the group of multi-structured Gospel precious covers and their decoration invariably includes central composition and different kind of frame (casted and embossed plaques, openwork elements or enamel bands with reach filigree ornamentations). Usually on the front cover is represented the scene Descent into Hell, and on the back side - Crucifixion of Christ and this interchange of the position of the two main themes in the iconographic program of the precious Gospel covers is one of the particularities of the group. Five of the works discussed in the article are made for Bachkovo Monastery, and the rest are related to the cultural history of Koprivshtitsa, Krichim and Samokov. The precious Gospel covers are divided into three main groups according to their characteristics. In the first two the examples are put together on the basis of the similarity in the arrangement and techniques of execution while the third group is formed on the basis of the fact that three of the works belong to the quite rare type of box bindings. In the presented precious Gospel covers one can see gradual deterioration of the execution and quality of the works as a whole with each decade. The deterioration of the goldsmith centre in the region of Plovdiv and Bachkovo Monastery made evident by the examples testifies a longer and overall process on the Balkans - the common tendency of disappearance of the mediaeval traditions at the end of 17th century and during 18th century.

Поглед към творческата лаборатория на художниците Михаил и Евтихий (за цикъла на Успение Богородично)

Author(s): Maria Kolusheva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2015

The availability of a rare cycle of the Assumption scenes in the post-Byzantine painting at the Church of St George in Veliko Turnovo (1616) made us look at the root of its visualisation. The extant pictorial cycles both form West Europe and the Orthodox Christendom, show that until the late eighteenth century the representation of the subject has still been in a process of formation and any established iconographic tradition is out of the question. The things changed when the workshop of painters Michael and Eutychios Astrapas from Thessalonica took to the visualisation of the Assumption. In the late thirteenth and the early fourteenth centuries they were commissioned to decorate several monuments in the territory of what are now Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo. The approach of the masters to the subject was creative and innovative. Working on various mural ensembles, they succeeded in inventing new compositions, introducing and establishing a number of iconographic elements in the traditional depicting of the Assumption. The next generation of painters followed closely and at times, more freely the model preset by the painters. With the fall of the Balkans to the Ottomans the tradition of representation of the cycle of the Assumption began to wane, but never faded away.

Иконография святых и рассказы о них: Богородица „Троеручица” (принципы взаимодействия образа и текста)

Author(s): Olga Belova / Language(s): Russian Issue: 2/2015

One of the characteristic features of the „Folk Bible” (folk legends based on the plots from the Old and New Testaments) is the fact that apocryphal tales and samples of Christian iconography became its sources together with the canonical biblical text and hagiography texts. The influence of iconography masterpieces on the structure of folklore texts is an extremely interesting area of research: it demands the study of the influence of canonical and „naive” sacred paintings on oral tradition; the principles of image interpretation in oral texts, and mechanisms of generation of folk narratives, based on the interpretation of this or that image are also to be analyzed. In this paper, we will focus on one illustrative case, i.e. the relationship of iconography and oral text in the folk stories about the icon of the three-handed Theotokos (Bogoroditsa Troeruchitsa). The article examines the narratives about the icon of Bogoroditsa Troeruchitsa, recorded in different regions of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The image of Bogoroditsa Troeruchitsa is rather popular in the folk tradition environment, but its interpretation in East Slavic folklore is often based not on the episode from the life of Saint John of Damascus, but on the beliefs about the third hand of the Virgin, miraculously given to her by God (or by Christ). According to popular belief, because of this the Virgin and Child escaped from the chase and crossed the sea. It is also believed that the icon of the Bogoroditsa Troeruchitsa helps from the hands and arms disease: the presence of three hands on the image is regarded as evidence that the icon’s help is addressed to all the suffering and praying. With the help of this icon, if it was put on the water, the body of a drowned man can be found. A number of calendar prohibitions (for example, one cannot swim or bath in the Midfeast, which name Prepolovenie in folk etymology is explained through the word pereplyvat’ „to swim”) and local stories about the stones with traces of feet of the Virgin are associated with the legend of Bogoroditsa Troeruchitsa as well.

Stematografija Hristofora Žefarovicia jako dokument kulturowych i narodowych dążeń Serbów w pierwszej połowie XVIII wieku

Author(s): Justyna Romanowska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 04/2014

Stemmatographia, by Hristofor Zhefarovich (1741), was one of the most important Serbian books published in the first half of the 18th century. The first part contains the majestic portraits of the canonized Serbian sovereigns who built and strengthened the medieval Serbian state; the second part presents images of the coats of arms of the Balkan lands. Work composed in such a way corresponded to the political and religious program of the Archbishopric of Karlovci, the most important Serbian religious and secular institution in the lands belonging to the Habsburg monarchy. The reference to the tradition of the medieval state by presenting images of rulers and marking its territories by coats of arms legitimized the authority of the Serbian Orthodox Church that declared itself to be the heir and continuator of this tradition. At the same time, the gallery of portraits of the rulers and Orthodox Church notables constituted the national pantheon of saints that conferred a sacral aspect on Serbian history.

“With the Poles We Have Always Got Along...”

Author(s): Ilia Todev / Language(s): English Issue: 1-2/2014

The text examines in brief the Bulgarian-Polish relations to point out that they, due to the important similarities in the destinies of the two Slav peoples, always has been good. The author presents at this background a little known case of Polish-Bulgarian synergy. It concerns a French booklet, published in 1868 by the lay leader of the Bulgarian Church Movement under the title “The Bulgarian Question”. The booklet, created in collaboration with a Polish émigré, was a kind of a manifesto through which the Autocephalous Bulgarian Church was re-established under the name of “Exarchate”. Besides this purely historical and purely Bulgarian significance this text has another very important dimension – which is upto-date and goes far beyond Bulgaria. It consists in the proclamation of the slogan “Variety in unity, liberty in order”, the first part of which is identical with the motto of the EU. This coincidence might be a reason to claim that the European idea has its Bulgarian-Polish roots which must be known and admitted – in Bulgaria and in Poland as well as in the EU.

The Musical Activities of the Congregation of the Resurrection’s Mission in Bulgaria (mid-19th – mid-20th c.)

Author(s): Stefka Venkova / Language(s): English Issue: 1-2/2014

The paper presents the musical activities of the Congregation of the Resurrection’s Mission in the context of the cultural life of the Eastern Rite Catholic Church in Bulgaria. Their abundant and active musical work has a considerable contribution to the development of the musical tradition in the Catholic community as well as in the entire Bulgarian society. The paper is focused on the musical education at the Bulgarian-Catholic High School in Adrianopolis and at the Catholic school in Malko Tarnovo. It emphasizes the significance of the school choirs and orchestras in the forming of the musical traditions in Bulgaria. The figures of father Tomasz Brzeska (1818-1900) and father Konstantin Patronov (1905–1991) are outlined.

Zusammenfassungen

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): German Issue: 3/2002

Summaries of the articles in the issue.

Table of Contents - 1/2002 issue

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2002

ToC: 2002, issue 1 In Bulgarian and English

Водата – граница

Author(s): Georgi Gerov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2002

Богородица – Хестия

Author(s): Elena Popova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2002

Дългия живот на един мит. (Житийния цикъл на Йосиф Прекрасни в галерията на църквата "Рождество Христово" в Арбанаси)

Author(s): Margarita Kuyumdzhieva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2002

Кивот (ковчег) за мощи от Германския маннстир край София

Author(s): Elena Genova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3/2001

За няколко възрожденски щампи от Арбанаси

Author(s): Diana Kosseva-Toteva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3/2001

Реставратор или изкуствовед (Двете хипостази на Любен Прашков)

Author(s): Elka Bakalova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3/2001

Congruence of rituals and theatre.

Author(s): Tudor Cosmin Ciocan / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2015

I have started this research as a response to a pejorative question that religious rituals are merely theatrical, and the personnel involved nothing else but actors; beyond this there is nothing any religion suggests, e.g. healing, divine touch, blessings et.al. This paper is about rituals and their meanings and roles played as in social drama and theatre play. Considering the relationship between ritual and theatre to be reciprocal I will use their functions to evaluate the process of religious ceremonies and the role they play for adherents/participants, as if they would be attending a play. Religious Studies and Drama joint study offers the opportunity to combine two complementary humanities subjects, as both drama and religion are mainstays of cultural practice.

The Gračanica Monastery

Author(s): Anja Fabiani / Language(s): English Issue: 1 (2)/2010

The Gračanica monastery is one of the Serbian King Milutin’s last monumental endowments, a beautiful Byzantine building. In fact, it is a Serbian Orthodox monastery, located in Kosovo, built in 1321. The village of Gračanica itself is a Serb enclave nearby Priština.

TRENDS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ICONOGRAPHY IN RELATION TO RUSSIAN ORTHODOXY

Author(s): Mihai Cîrțan / Language(s): English Issue: 38/2024

Today, icon painting is on the way to a dynamic comeback, when interest in the culture of icon painting as a national spiritual heritage has not weakened, the need to preserve and widely spread Orthodox traditions is growing, and a constant trend has emerged in a highly spiritual and artistic approach to the professional performance of icon painting objects. Philosophers, art experts, cultural experts, icon painters continue to study ecclesiastical art, and particularly the canonical icon. The work aims to deal with the issue of modern icon painting in the sense of understanding the meanings and mission of the icon in society, the position of the Church, the issue of the canon in icon painting, the commercialization of the work of the icon painter, etc., all of which are considered tasks of modern icon painting. The ability to find a harmony of artistic creation and the canon of icon painting; mastering the language of icon painting and thinking about icon painting; In this sense, the development of a new iconography constitutes trends for the development of icon painting that refer to the return and preservation of the canonical culture of icon painting, but also as a means of relating the state to the Church in terms of the spiritual and professional education of modern icon painters.

Писмата на българския архиепископ в Охрид Паисий до Италийския митрополит Тимотей

Author(s): Ventzislav KARAVALTCHEV / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2023

During the 16th century to the diocese of the Bulgarian Archbishopric in Ohrid were added the lands of southern Italy, namely: Puglia, Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, the island of Sicily, as well as the island of Malta, Dalmatia and all western countries. In the Bulgarian monastery Saint George – the Zograf Monastery on Mount Athos are kept four letters – charters written by the Archbishop of Bulgaria Paisius to the Italian Metropolitan Timothy, who was appointed by him to rule these lands. From these letters we see that in the diocese of Metropolitan Timothy some ferment and discontent arose, caused by “Greeks and Albanians”. Based on the content of these documents and the fact that these lands were handed over under the spiritual management of the Archbishop of Bulgaria, an answer is sought to the question of: what is the reason for these lands to be passed under the spiritual care of the Bulgarian archbishop, and what is the reason for the dissatisfaction of Greeks and Albanians? Based on a number of source documents and data, as well as on the basе of modern research that studies the languages spoken by the local population, the author of the article shows the serious presence of Bulgarian and Slavic population in the region, which many times exceeds the number of Greek and Albanian. This is most likely the leading reason for these lands to be handed over under the spiritual care of the Archbishopric of Bulgaria in Ohrid.

Мястото, наречено Баница

Author(s): Elissaveta Moussakova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2019

In the manuscript known as the Banitsa Gospels the colophon of the priest John reveals that it was completed in "St Nicholas, in the place called Banitsa". Benyo Tsonev suggested, mainly from philological evidence, that this allegedly detailed comment refers to the village of Banitsa near Vratsa (North-West Bulgaria) and its church St Nicholas. Indeed, the scholar also considered other locations of the same name but eventually he and all other researchers after him accepted the Vratsa region as the most рrоЬаЫе place of origin of the manuscript. What is more, certain authors ranked Banitsa as а literary centre related to the capital Tamovo. Not only the peculiarities of the codex, but also the lack of data about any scribal activity in Banitsa or in Vratsa itself in the late thirteenth or early fourteenth century, demand an attempt to confirm or reject Tsonev's attribution. Starting from the unclear reference "St Nicholas" (church or monastery?), the proЫematic existence of literary centre of either in/near the village and the evidence of the Greek titles (in Cyrillic script) of the Gospels of Luke and John, the author of this paper reconsiders the question of the manuscripts' origin. As far as sources were consulted, none of the proposed solutions - the present-day villages Vevi near Florina and Karie near Seпes, the metochion Banitsa on Mount Athos and the castle Banishta near Bachkovo Monastery - proved satisfactory; so Tsonev's arguments remain valid. The reason of this study then lies in the tum of the perspective: the Banitsa Gospels should not any more Ье seen as an evidence for а village with scribal activity, but as а departure point towards proving the provenance and estaЬlishing the characteristics of а supposed centre in а cultural contact zone. Only in this way will bе substantiated either Naumov's and Skomorokhova's opinion of the liturgical novelty of the rubrics and the early date of the manuscript or Vakareliyska's claim of its later composition in the mid fourteenth century and its membership in а group of Gospels preserving а remarkaЬly archaic textological tradition.