Непознатият всекидневен живот на средновековния български духовник
The unknown everyday life of the medieval Bulgarian clergy

Summary/Abstract: The article describes the life of the medieval Bulgarian clergy between the 9th and the 14th centuries outside of their duties, directly related to the service of the church. Sources on this topic are limited and indirect. They show that clergy, especially those of high rank (bishops, metropolitans) have participated directly in the economic life of the country as ktitors and builders of churches and monasteries, private owners and managers of estates, tax collectors. The priests from the villages provided for themselves and their families from their land ownership. That is why their way of life was rarely different from that of the peasants. They were plowmen, harvested and looked after animals. The food they ate was simple. But there were also priests whose work was intellectual. They copied books in return of a fee or in kind for their livelihood. There is another theory about the daily life of the clergy, which presents it in a negative light – living for pleasure and devoted to profit and idleness.

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