Непубликувани мощехранителници с гръцки надписи от Бачковския манастир
Unpublished reliquaries with Greek inscriptions from Bachkovo Monastery

Summary/Abstract: The text presents a preliminary study of ten unpublished reliquaries from the collection of Bachkovo Monastery and briefly comments on their artistic and functional characteristics. At the beginning, it is summarized the information from rare written sources about the relics, which have belonged to the monastery until the end of the nineteenth century. The main part of the article deals with the reliquaries, presented in chronological order with their descriptions, translation and interpretation of Greek inscriptions on them. The reliquaries, dating from the early eighteenth century to the late of nineteenth century, are keeping up with the tendencies of goldsmithery of that period; most of them were manufactured in the small goldsmiths’ workshops in places, located near the Bachkovo Monastery such as Pazardzhik and Sliven. Among them, there are few examples, which were imported from Western Europe as well as Greek goldsmiths’ workshops. In conclusion, it is outlined the different aspects of functional characteristics of reliquaries. Judging to their form and decoration, some of them may have belonged to the group of so-called “taxidiot boxes” which were used from the travelling monks of Bachkovo Monastery. The role of contained relics in the iconographic programme of the monastery’s katholikon as well as in the development of local cults of saints such as St Cyricus, St James of Persia, St Haralambos, St Tryphon, St Marina, etc., is drawn briefly at the end of the article.

• Details
• Contents