Някои наблюдения върху мощехранителницата от Етрополския манастир „Варовитец“
Some Observations on the Reliquary of the Varovitets Monastery in Etropole

Summary/Abstract: The reliquary of the Varovitets Monastery in Etropole is brought into science as a term at the beginning of 20th century by Petar Mutafchiev, who attempted to interpret the inscription for the first time. He read the date as 1692, 11th July, which ever since has not been critically approached. This resulted in reassertion of incorrect facts in literature. In the current study, a new reading of the inscribed year is offered, namely that of 1751/52 indict 11. According to the inscription, the reliquary is made by goldsmith Boycho from Etropole, thus, it serves as the earliest artifact for the existence of goldsmiths’ trade in the town. The systemized historical data from the research about ore mining in the region shows that Etropole holds all the necessary conditions for development of goldsmiths’ trade. At the end of this exposition, the stylistic characteristics of the decoration of the reliquary are analyzed briefly. They give grounds to suggest that goldsmiths’ trade in Etropole during the middle of the 18th century was influenced by the nearby goldsmith centre of Vratsa.

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