Стенописите в Долнобешовишкия манастир „Св. Архангел Михаил”

Author(s): Tsveta Kuneva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2015

Most of the murals at the catholicon of St Michael the Archangel nearby the village of Dolna Beshovitsa, Vratsa district, were uncovered in the restoration work of 2006 by Dimcho Radev and were not been published. The extant murals are set mostly on the east side. The wall-painting programme features a combination of Catholic influence and gearing to the selection of the representations of the patron saint of the church, St Michael the Archangel. The Catholic influence is discernible in the architecture and in the representations of Roman Popes and of SS Cyril the Philosopher and Methodius. An explanation of the individual figure of the Mesopotamian prophet Balaam is provided by the dedication of the church, as he is represented in the scene of an Angel appearing to him. An Archangel, holding the Holy Sudarium, is painted mirroring Balaam’s figure. The representation of the two small figures of angles, flunking the image of Christ in the composition adoration of the Lamb in the apse, is also in all likelihood connected with the patron saint of the church. The just a few studies mentioning the murals at the church of Dolna Beshovitsa, date them to the seventeenth century at the earliest. Their manner as well as the Heirmologion copied for the monastery in 1549 by Deacon John, suggest the assumption that the murals under consideration have been painted circa the mid-sixteenth century.

Цикълът на Деянията и Чудесата Христови от притвора на Черепишката манастирска църква „Успение Богородично”

Author(s): Maya Zacharieva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2015

The article treats the iconographic specifics of the cycle of Christ’s acts and miracles at the earliest narthex of the Catholicon of The Assumption, Monastery of Cherepish, which researchers traditionally attribute to the work of St Poemen of Zographou. The study makes also certain observations about their connection with the so-called School of Epirus as evinced in the murals at the Church of St Nicholas of Philanthropenoi in Ioannina, Pamvotida Lake, as well as in other examples in the Balkans and the Athonite monasteries of the age. The analysis shows that the icon-painters were familiar with the models used by the sixteenth-century leading post-Byzantine artistic centres.

Стенописите на църквата „Св. Архангел Михаил“ край с. Горановци, Кюстендилско (нови данни)

Author(s): Svetozar Angelov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2015

The article gives a comprehensive description of the extant murals. With the collapsed vault, only the murals in the bottom tier have survived. Special attention is accorded to deciphering and identification of the texts on the extant scrolls. Two layers of paint were established and an attempt was made to date those. An interesting element of the decoration of the apse is the inclusion of Archangels Uriel and Raphael in the scene Melismos, as well as using a relatively rare abstract of the Divine Liturgy of St Basil the Great. Some other specific images of the iconographic programme of the church: Joshua (represented as a lord); the martyr St Blaise/Bucolus, holding a calf; St Demetrios, clad in garments of a seignior; a full-length image of St Anne, holding a cross. The publication takes to identify the scene, which has been set in the left niche of the altar. The various decorative elements of the mural decoration at the Church of St Michael the Archangel by the village of Goranovtsi are considered. A possible dating to the late fifteenth or the early sixteenth century is proposed.

Надписи от Горноводенския манастир „Св. Св. Кирик и Юлита” край Асеновград. Предварителни бележки

Author(s): Aleksandra Trifonova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2015

In this paper the inscriptions of the Sts Cyricus and Јulitta monastery at Gorni Voden are discussed. They give valuable information about the historical persons who contributed to the weal of the monastery. Based on them, it comes out that the monastery was built in 1835 with the donations of the habitants of the Greek community of Gorni Voden. The naos was painted in 1847-1848 with the sponsorship of laymen of Bulgarian origin, whereas the narthex was painted in 1850, during the time of the hegoumenos Gerasimos Iviritis, by the painter Alexios Athanassiou from Naoussa. The wood-carved iconostasis was painted with the help of Greeks from Philippopolis during the period of 1864-1871. Among the donors of the monastery laymen of Bulgarian origin dominate who come from the places Assamita, Gerdima, Gorni Voden, Guzurli, Edbek, Irinzik, Karaorman, Kezik, Meriza, Muldava, Tremezli and Chiflik mahala, as well as members of the guilds of the chandlers, the grocers and the snippers of Philippopolis. Donnors were also by separate persons from this town, as Georgios Kazandzoglou (1847), Georgios Athanassiou Kaftandzis (1864), Anasstasios hadji Dimitriou Koimdzis (1864), Athanassios Iakovou Argyriadou (1868), Vassilios G. Klieanthis (1870), Ekaterina A. Tomidi (1871) and Josif, as well as persons from the ecclesiastical circle, as hierodeacon hadji Makarios from Bursa, the hegoumens of the monastery Gerasimos Iviritis (1850) and hadji Jeronimos Philippopolitis, the priest Dimitrakis Chrisafi Frangakis and the monks Sofronios and Josif.

KULTURNI IDENTITET BOSNE I HERCEGOVINE

Author(s): Ivan Lovrenović / Language(s): Croatian Issue: 1/2015

Through its entire history, Bosnia and Herzegovina has stood in a peripheral position in relation to the great cultural and civilisational centres of East and West. It has received their influences, but has also created its own socio-cultural field in which these influences are mutually interwoven and reshaped. Discontinuous political history, many migrations in various directions, coexistence of different systems of civilisation and religion have made Bosnia and Herzegovina an unusual social structure - composite and integral at the same time. The traditional image of the cultural identity of BiH is characterised by a prominent duality between the so called high and folk culture. The sphere of high culture is marked by the isolation of the three cultural entities; much different from that, the folk culture is an area where relations and practices of mutuality are established between people from all etno-confessional cultural circles. This makes the cultural identity and heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina ambivalent and dialectical: they are both a “sum” and a “product”; they have their clearly differentiated nacio-cultural traditions, but interference also exists, i.e. their mutual tradition. The fundamental mark of BH cultural identity resides, then in its civilisational interwoveness: in the concurrency of one mutual and three separate traditions. This multiplicity is today demonstrated in the form of a sharp fragmentation, while the disparate perceptions of land, history or culture influence formulating political goals a lot. A political and social framework is needed in order for the productive interaction between mutual and separate to be re-established. In it all elements of the structure could come to light in a non-conflictual manner. BiH today is faced with these questions more erratically than ever in its recent history. The problem is old, but the answers have to be new, because the historical situation is such.

RAZLIČIT PRISTUP NACIONALNOM FENOMENU I PROBLEM RAVNOPRAVNOSTI

Author(s): Gordana Iličić / Language(s): Croatian Issue: 1/2015

Intentions of some inner and international factors to create an assimilating unique political community in Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot come up with an effective solution because there are no preconditions for the realization of such possibility in the BH society. The only realistic and possible thing to be done is to accept the existing national unique traits of the three dominant communities and to accept the political reality which says that a complex political system cannot be changed through strenghtening its efficiency and worsening the status of equality. In a complex society, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is only possible through the institutional framework which possesses accommodation capacities to achieve stability of a political system which can consolidate the structures and rules and which is capable of putting political and social factors into mutual interaction.

Identity, Church and State: A Bulgarian Pole among the Catholics in the Village of Dragomirovo

Author(s): Blagovest Nyagulov / Language(s): English Issue: 1-2/2014

This paper presents a micro-historical touch to the topic of this conference, which along with the 150th anniversary of the mission of the Congregation of the Resurrection in Bulgaria refers in more general terms to Bulgarian-Polish relations based on the Catholic religion. In the focus of attention will be the Catholic priest Grzegorz / Grigoriy Piegza, 07.11.1851, Rokytnice, Poland – 29.09.1932, Przasnysz, Poland), Polish by origin and Bulgarian by identity, who was involved in the disputes on the priests issue in the Nikopol diocese and the ecclesiastical strife between the two communities of Catholics in the village of Dragomirovo, Svishtov region. The events took place from the end of the 19th century to the immediate aftermath of the First World War - a period when the national factor acquired strong positions in the relationship between state, bishop, clergy and congregation in the northern Catholic diocese in Bulgaria.

Rescuing Animals in Bulgaria – Or Foreigners with Causes

Author(s): Plamena Stoyanova / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2021

In 2000, the first ‘Dancing Bear Park’ was opened in Bulgaria. Located on the southern side of the Rila Mountains, in the vicinity of the town of Belitsa, it became a sanctuary for nearly 30 bears that had been rescued from a life of street entertainment. The park was created with the active participation and support of the French actress Brigitte Bardot and was one of the first examples of animal sanctuaries built with the help of a foreign citizen. The world-famous star never lived in Bulgaria, but today many expats who have settled or reside in the country also have a special attitude towards the animals here and Bulgarian nature in general. Moreover, for some, taking care of local street animals has become a mission. This paper will explore their reasons for devoting themselves to the care of street animals and to the preservation of Bulgarian nature. The research will also try to answer the question: ‘What do Bulgarians learn from these foreigners?’

FROM NOBLES TO SERVANTS: WOMEN'S ROLES IN GEORGIAN MONOGAMY - A HISTORICAL ANALYSIS THROUGH LITERARY SOURCES

Author(s): Nino Gambashidze / Language(s): English Issue: 7/2023

The earliest Georgian literary works, traditionally categorized as "hagiography," chronicle the lives and martyrdoms of notable figures from the early Christian era (5th -9th centuries). In addition to religious themes, these narratives reveal the actions of real individuals who, while advocating for their faith, also asserted their right to act independently, even in the face of aggression and opposition from those in power. This article delves into the roles of women in positions of authority, as well as women from lower social strata, who, according to medieval Georgian and Armenian sources, made significant contributions to the state despite their modest beginnings. The period following Persian, Arabian, and Turkish invasions in Georgia witnessed the introduction of "maidens" and "servants" into the monogamous culture, prompting questions about the purpose of this institution. It remains uncertain whether these foreign women were assigned to monarchs and noble leaders for specific, and possibly ambiguous, reasons. Consequently, both Georgian men and women across social classes grappled with the introduction of this institution, which was never formally endorsed. Unfortunately, servant women often bore the label of being loyal to their masters, further casting suspicion on them as potential "spies" within the royal court. The responsibility of challenging practices like polygamy or moral laxity often fell on the shoulders of accomplished women. Thus, the adage "Behind every successful man, there stands a strong woman" resonates in the portrayal of Georgian women throughout the centuries, continuing into modern times. In the presented article, there is an attempt to show the actions of women in power as well as women of low class who would carry out the idea of service to the state in spite of their social origin, according to Georgian and Armenian medieval sources.

Архитект Фридрих Грюнангер и България

Author(s): Lyubinka Stoilova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2025

This paper explores the work of Friedrich Grünanger in Bulgaria from 1879 until his retirement (1914–1915). At a time when the country faced an acute need for specialists, the architect dedicated his 35-year career to supporting rapid social progress. He addressed a wide range of professional challenges for various institutions and social circles, introducing contemporary knowledge and expertise from Central Europe. Well-known aspects of Grünanger’s biography are expanded with new insights into the life circumstances that shaped his work, which unfolded in three overlapping phases: as a civil servant, as a freelance designer, and as an architect at the “Evlogi and Hristo Georgievi” Ephoria. These roles intertwined over time, influencing one another. The analysis of the architect’s personal style within a broader pan-European context, complemented by newly discovered drawings and photographs, enriches our understanding of Bulgarian architecture and culture during the transition from the 19th to the 20th century.

Академик Георги Яковлев(ич) Кирков – дизайнер на първите български парични и филателни емисии

Author(s): Tsveti Pchelinski / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2025

This article explores the life and extensive, multifaceted creative work of Georgi Yakovlev Kirkov—a prominent educator and polymath, one of the eminent architects of modern Bulgaria. He actively contributed to the establishment and leadership of many of the country’s first modern administrative and scientific institutions. A key focus is placed on one of his most significant contributions: the design of Bulgaria’s first revenue stamps, postage stamps, postcards, banknotes, and coins. Based on collected archival materials, this study sheds light on the early history of postal services and telecommunications in Bulgaria in the years following the Liberation.

Гръкоосманизъм срещу панславизъм: Власис Гавриилидис и неговият поглед върху руската балканска политика

Author(s): Slaveya Kotova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2025

In the years following the Crimean War, a segment of the Greek elite recognized the incompatibility between the so-called “Great Idea” of Greek unification and Russian imperial ambitions regarding the Straits and the Ottoman capital. On an ideological level, the rise of Pan-Slavism also posed a threat to Greek claims of cultural supremacy over the Orthodox Slavic populations in the Balkans, fueling Russophobic sentiments within Greek society. Against this backdrop, the Bulgarian- Greek church dispute erupted, reinforcing fears of a Slavic conspiracy orchestrated by Russia. It was in this context that Vlasios Gavriilidis’ text Greece and Pan-Slavism appeared in 1869. The present article critically examines the historical overview of Russian eastern policy as presented by the author.

За актуалния статус на личната библиотека на йеромонах Неофит Рилски в Рилския манастир

Author(s): Gabriela Angelova,Kameliya Hristova-Yordanova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2025

The article offers a brief overview of the published works on the private library of hieromonk Neophyte of Rila. The research suggests a comparative analysis of the present inventory of his private library collection provided by the library of the Rila Monastery and his own list, written by himself and kept at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Through this comparative study, the research aims to identify books currently missing from his personal library. This investigation is facilitated by the access granted to the Rila Monastery repository, enabling direct examination of hieromonk Neophyte of Rila’s private book collection.The primary objective of this research is to provide a reference tool that will facilitate the identification and location of missing units within the Library at the Rila Monastery and other pertinent repositories, which may house some of Neophyte’s private books.

ПСИХОЛОГИЧЕСКИТЕ ВЪЗГЛЕДИ НА РУСКИТЕ РЕЛИГИОЗНО-ОРИЕНТИРАНИ МИСЛИТЕЛИ ОТ КРАЯ НА XIX ВЕК И НАЧАЛОТО НА XX ВЕК ВЪВ ВРЪЗКА С РАЗВИТИЕТО НА НРАВСТВЕНАТА ПСИХОЛОГИЯ

Author(s): Yurii Oleinik,Mariyana Nyagolova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2024

The article provides a description of one of the areas of Russian psychological science of the late 19th - early 20th centuries - religious and philosophical psychology. Some ideas substantiated by its representatives (M.O. Verzhbolovich, V.I. Nesmelov, V.A. Snegirev, M.M. Troitsky) are considered and their significance for the development of a new area of modern Russian psychological science - moral psychology is indicated. A conclusion is made about the prospects of using the developments of Russian religious and philosophical psychology for modern researchThe article provides a description of one of the areas of Russian psychological science of the late 19th - early 20th centuries - religious and philosophical psychology. Some ideas substantiated by its representatives (M.O. Verzhbolovich, V.I. Nesmelov, V.A. Snegirev, M.M. Troitsky) are considered and their significance for the development of a new area of modern Russian psychological science - moral psychology is indicated. A conclusion is made about the prospects of using the developments of Russian religious and philosophical psychology for modern research

„Swą starą skórę zrzuć i stań się znowu młody”. Idea „ponownego narodzenia” w programach ideowych protestanckich konfesjonałów na Pomorzu u schyłku XVII i w XVIII w.

Author(s): Marcin Wisłocki / Language(s): Polish Issue: 4/2007

Трудният просперитет: недоволството и противниците на зърнения бум от 1846 – 1847 г. в османските Балкани

Author(s): Andrea Umberto Gritti / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2025

This article seeks to shed light on the opposition sparked by the expansion of grain exports in the Ottoman Balkans during the late 1840s. It addresses key issues in the historiography of institutional and social transformations in the Ottoman Empire during the reform (Tanẓîmât) era. Specifically, it examines the impact of suspending compulsory grain payments to the state and introducing free trade on the population’s food consumption. Drawing on a collection of documents from the Ottoman archives in Istanbul and the Italian diplomatic archives, the article explores how the administration managed emerging supply challenges and the growing opposition among the population to exporters’ activities.

VILLAGES IN ILFOV COUNTY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE REGULATION AGE

Author(s): Vasile Grigore / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 40/2025

The adoption of the Organic Regulation of Romania triggered a period of great changes, of deep political, legal and administrative reorganization. The Regulation Age (1831-1858) is a special one in the history of the Romanian space, the one that marks its transition from "the periphery of the Ottoman Empire to the periphery of the West" (Bogdan Murgescu). The need to know, as well as possible, the state in which the country was at that beginning of the Regulation Age and the subsequent progress led to the collection of detailed data from all areas of life. General Pavel Kiseleff's desire to have the most correct, undistorted perspective on all matters related to the administration of the Romanian countries also contributed to this. The territorial-administrative organization of the counties underwent spectacular developments during the Regulation Age, a matter that has not been researched much in the case of the Ilfov County. The research we put forward has the intention of shedding light on the stage from which the reformation process started in the case of the Ilfov County and thus offer, for the future, the possibility of relevant measurement of the extent and results obtained. We therefore want to highlight the number of the Ilfov settlements at the beginning of the regulatory period and the difficulties this approach entails. Furthermore, we want to identify the reasons why the sources that we used, both published and unpublished, provide different figures regarding the number of villages contained by the Ilfov County around 1831.

Jubileji

Author(s): Mateja Ribarič,Anton Arko,Zdenko Medveš,Milan Hladnik,Tatjana Hojan / Language(s): Slovenian Issue: 1-2/2018

Anniversaries: Tatjana Hojan, France Strmčnik, Ivan Vidav, Ivan Cankar, Aleš Ušeničnik, Fran Jaklič, Štefan Kociančič, Janez Verbic, Janez Ludvik Schönleben Slovenian School Museum

Die Rolle Wiens bei der Freilassung spanischer Kriegsgefangener im Osmanischen Reich in der zweiten Hälfte des 16. Jahrhunderts

Author(s): Aneliya Stoyanova / Language(s): German Issue: 1/2025

In the second half of the 16th century, both branches of the Habsburg dynasty faced the Ottoman threat and the need for joint actions and cooperation. Most good examples of inner-dynastic cooperation in the communication with the Sultan are found in the field of diplomacy. The permanent diplomatic representation of the Austrian Habsburgs in Constantinople allowed them to act in favor of their Spanish relatives, who at that time preferred not to be officially represented in the Ottoman capital. Vienna’s diplomats insisted on the inclusion of Spain in the numerous peace agreements between the Emperor and the Sultan and secretly negotiated in the name of Philip II. By presenting chosen case studies the current article accentuates another significant example for cooperation, namely the efforts of the Austrian Habsburg diplomats to liberate Spanish subjects from Ottoman captivity. It focuses on Spanish prisoners of war after the defeat at Djerba in 1560. The story of veteran general Don Alvaro de Sande, well documented in archival sources, represents an excellent example for inner-dynastic cooperation, but it also offers valuable information on Early modern captivity and redemption practices (formal and informal) in the Mediterranean context of the intense Habsburg–Ottoman rivalry during the 1560s and 1570s.

Citizenship Preferences of Ottoman Jews in the Transition from the Millet System to Citizenship in the Ottoman Empire (1869–1914)

Author(s): Ahmet Kısa,Aydın Yiğit / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2025

The “Millet System” constituted the basis of the Ottoman societal structure. The “Millet System” allowed different communities, including Ottoman Jews, to exercise their beliefs and cultures however they wanted and without exposure to any oppression. However, the economic and social problems experienced in the 19th century required the establishment of a new social administration system. For this reason, in 1869, the “Citizenship Law” was enacted, and the subjects of the Ottoman State were given the right to modern citizenship. This law, which had a secular nature, gave rise to the concept of “citizenship”, where all subjects were included under the rule of the Ottoman authority without regard to their religion or sect. In this study, the status of Ottoman Jews following the enaction of the Citizenship Law is investigated based on the specific case of those changing their citizenship. The factors that affected the appeal of Jews to relinquish their Ottoman citizenship are examined based on their preferences of countries for citizenship and their short biographies found in relevant documents. This study revealed that the number of Jews who renounced Ottoman citizenship were limited. The archive records used on the subject mostly belong to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Hariciye Nezareti). From time to time, the issue was referred to the Council of State (Şura-yı Devlet), and concerns about the compliance of citizenship related actions with the legislation were resolved.