О градитељима православних цркава у Босни и Херцеговини у вријеме аустро-угарске управе

Author(s): Ljiljana Ševo / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 1/2016

Even though between 1878 and 1914 more than two hundred Orthodox churches were constructed or rebuilt in Bosnia and Herzegovina, today we know only around twenty names of their architects. As opposed to the Catholic churches, whose projects were entrusted to prominent architects of the Provincial government, usually to Josip Vancaš, for the construction of Orthodox temples they were employed only occasionally – Johan Kellner and Josef Czerny for the building of the Seminary in Reljevo1883-1884, Josef Czerny for the church in Reljevo 1886, August Butsch for the church in Blažuj 1897, and Rudolf Tönnies for the facade of the Metropolitan headquarters in 1898.Some churches were built according to the prototype projects of anonymous engineers of the Austro-Hungarian administration. Even when they were recorded, the names of the architects of Orthodox churches in Bosnia and Herzegovina which were built during this period, offer scarce information to the modern researcher, since they are not found elsewhere in other sources. It is probable that these were capable local builders, and only in two cases it is recorded that they were Serb engineers. It is considered that the church in Pale was built according to the project of the famous painter Lazar Drljača, and the similarity of this church with those in Maglaj, Gornji Dragaljevac and Gornje Zabrđe lead to the conclusion that they were also built according to Drljača’s plan.

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.

Владика бачки Иринеј и односи између Српске православне цркве и државе (1944–1955)

Author(s): Aleksandar Horvat / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 1/2024

The aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Yugoslav state in Vojvodina and Bačka in the context of the new communist regime’s treatment of the bishop of Bačka, Irinej Ćirić, from the time of the bishop’s liberation (1944) until his death (1955). Irinej was imprisoned under house arrest for 17 months shortly aft er the partisans captured Novi Sad due to his connections to the Hungarian occupation regime. Upon his release, he was attacked and beaten by a group of locals in Odžaci in 1946. Th is event, known as the ”Odžaci Affair”, was one of the contentious issues that burdened relations between the church and the state for a long time. Th e research also looks at how the Diocese of Bačka operated from 1944 to 1955, the attitudes of the clergy—who were closely monitored by the secret service and under pressure from the new authorities—and Irinej and his associates’ positions on certain political and ecclesiastical issues. It also examines at how these issues were resolved through mutual adaptation and a shift in the state’s attitude toward the church.

POLITICAL ORTHODOXY AS A SOURCE OF SOFT POWER IN RUSSIA AND SERBIA

Author(s): Milan Vukomanović / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

Balkan states have remained susceptible to Russian influence in the 21st century due to a concurrence of contemporary and historical factors. In Serbia, such factors have contributed to the high favourability of Russia among the general public, despite government leadership attempts to balance between these sentiments and relationships with the West. To best understand these trends, one of the most compelling examples is the role of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and the Serbian Orthodox Church in serving as forces to strengthen the shared history of these two nations. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the ROC has served as a vital partner to Putin and to the Russian government in justifying their ideologies, along with the strong transnational presence of the ROC as a soft power. Accordingly, the role of religious institutions as public diplomacy actors is exceedingly important to understand in today’s global setting. For states like Serbia, this presents a setup whereby Russian positions may be shared or reinforced through religious channels. It is, therefore, crucial for scholars, political analysts and public policy makers to better understand the link between religion and public diplomacy, and to formulate policies and programmes that specifically consider activities disseminated by religious institutions.

Paradoxical Hope: Fr. Aleksander Schmemann’s Sermons on Radio Liberty

Author(s): Milutin Janjić / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

This article explores Father Aleksander Schmemann’s radio broadcasts that began in 1953 on Radio Liberty, coinciding with Joseph Stalin’s death. The article argues that his broadcasts represent a unique form of hope, particularly from an Orthodox Christian perspective. A core aspect of his theological thought emphasizes personal religious experiences, both internal and external, expressed effectively through literature and poetry. The article examines one of Fr Schmemann’s sermons, which discusses Russian poet Joseph Brodsky’s poem “The Meeting of the Lord” (“Sretenie”). Through this sermon, the article demonstrates Fr Schmemann’s view of literature’s role in conveying spiritual insights. It underscores Fr Schmemann’s belief of the significance of personal religious experiences in one’s relationship with God, conveyed primarily through words, whether in liturgical settings or creative expressions like poetry. This profound connection between language, faith, and personal experience forms the foundation of Fr Schmemann’s paradoxical hope, inspiring him to reach out to a distant and suppressed audience.

Creation as Sacrament: An Orthodox Contribution to the Cultivation of an Ecological Ethos

Author(s): Viorel Coman / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

This article looks at the contribution of Dumitru Stăniloae’s theology of the sacramentality of creation for the cultivation of an ecological sensitivity, attending in particular to his ideas that the entire created reality is God’s gift to humanity and that the cosmos has a mysterious or apophatic dimension. This helps in developing a Christian ecology whose central idea is of non-possession or non-domestication of the world by human beings. Understanding the world thus is seen as world-affirming and a reminder that creation cannot be treated as mere utility, property, or raw material, but is always also a vehicle of grace and spiritualization.

МОНУМЕНТАЛЬНИЙ ЖИВОПИС ЦЕРКВИ ВСІХ ПРЕПОДОБНИХ ОТЦІВ ПЕЧЕРСЬКИХ ЯК ВІДДЗЕРКАЛЕННЯ КОМПОЗИЦІЙ МЕЖІ ХІХ – ХХ СТОЛІТТЯ

Author(s): Maryna Afanasiyivna Bardik / Language(s): Ukrainian Issue: 44/2023

The purpose of the article is to enucleate and analyse the connection between the mural painting compositions of the Church of All Venerable Fathers of Pechersk (of the Caves) and the painting of other churches of the KyivPechersk Lavra. The research methodology is based on historical and cultural analysis, art study analysis, and empirical observation. Scientific novelty of the study. The dating of the mural painting of the Church of All Venerable Fathers of Pechersk of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra has been clarified. The main thematic and plot line of the Church decoration is defined and its presentation in various compositions is revealed. The thematic, plot, iconographic, academic connections of the mural paintings with the mural painting and icon painting of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra‘s churches at the turn of the 19th – 20th centuries as well as archival visual sources have been observed. The transformation of the original compositions in the murals of the Church of All Venerable Fathers of Pechersk has been studied. The peculiarities of the mural paintings colouring have been determined. It has been revealed using the academic painting heritage of the Great Church as the modern painting practice and historical tradition of the KyivPechersk Lavra. Conclusions. The mural painting compositions of the Church of All Venerable Fathers of Pechersk of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra were painted by artists under the supervision of Oleg Borovyk in 2002. The main thematic and plot line of the paintings is the theme of the Pechersk (the Cave) Monastery. It has been revealed in the gallery of images of Venerable Fathers of the Caves and saints associated with it, illustrations of the Pechersk Monastery foundation and the Great Church creation. Cold shades dominated by blue, green, turquoise and silver prevail in the paintings colouring. Based on the academic tradition, archival photos artists borrowed in whole or in part mural compositions of the Great Church (Dormition Cathedral, 1897–1901). They cited fragments of mural and icon painting compositions of the Church of Venerable Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk with the Refectory Chamber (the early 20th century). Borrowing had the historical precedent, the Lavra managing board issued an order (1900) to take the compositions of the Great Church as a model for painting the exterior of the Holy Trinity Gate Church. Citing the academic compositions of the Great Church revived them and joined the mural painting of the Church of All Venerable Fathers of Pechersk to the artistic tradition of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

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.

Cuvânt pastoral la praznicul Învierii Domnului

Author(s): Calinic Dumitriu / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 2/2022

Cuvânt pastoral la praznicul Nașterii Domnului

Author(s): Calinic Dumitriu / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 2/2022

Premeditatio malorum – forța de unificare conferită de gândul la moarte în ascetica răsăriteană și în filosofiile precreștine

Author(s): Valentin Marian Cocan / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 7-9/2023

There is a common thread in the practice of commemorating death or the thought of death that runs from Platonic philosophy to the teachings of the Holy Fathers. Based on the research conducted, it has been concluded that the practice of thinking about death serves to internally unify the philosopher, and that the ascetic, who assumes the patristic teaching, has the role of making him responsible as a hypostasis, distancing him from the status of an individual to that of a person. The study also presents the difference between ἐπιστροφή (epistrofi) and μετάνοια (metanoia).

Macarie Drãgoi - 10 ani cu mitropolitul meu Bartolomeu Anania 1998–2008: Amintiri de la capãtul dorului

Author(s): Iuliu-Marius Morariu / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2022

Review of: Macarie Drãgoi - Ten years with my Metropolitan Bartolomeu Anania 1998–2008: Memories from the edge of longing. Foreword by Radu Peda Iasi: Polirom, 2021.

Антрополошка димензија параболе о талантима (Мт 25, 14-30)

Author(s): Vladan Tatalović / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 2/2024

The paper conducts an anthropological study of Jesus’ metaphorical call to his disciples to emulate enslaved individuals who reliably carry out the business interests of their master, as conveyed in his Parable of the Talents (Mt 25, 14- 30). In the first part of the paper, the research is methodologically positioned concerning the relationship between anthropology and the Bible/biblical studies. In the second part, ethnographically collected data on the parable’s meaning is interpreted through the historical context of Matthew’s Christianity. The paper then demonstrates that the metaphor of profit-oriented slavery in the Parable of the Talents served to warn Matthew’s Christians not to falter in the face of adversities during Jesus’ absence and the inherent (Jewish) understanding of messianism. Matthew’s Christians are called by the parable to, like good and faithful slaves, overcome possible fears and urgently participate in bringing all nations into the status of their/Jesus’ disciples (28, 18-20). By showing that anthropological analysis may overcome methodological errors in the scholarly interpretation of the parable/Bible, the paper also aims to promote the contribution of anthropology to biblical studies and the collaboration between the two fields.

Prezentare de carte

Author(s): Vadim Bogoslovski / Language(s): Romanian Issue: LIII/2024

Review of: В.И. Петрушко, Очерки по истории Русской Церкви. С древнейших времен до середины XV в., Москва, Издательство Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета, 2022, 512 с.Петрушко В. И., Очерки по истории Русской Церкви. Середина XV в. – конец XVI в, Москва, Издательство Православного СвятоТихоновского гуманитарного университета, 2022, 496 с.; Петрушко В. И., Очерки по истории Русской Церкви. Первый патриарший период. (конец XVI – XVII в.) Издательство Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета, Москва, 2023, 464 с.;Review of:В.И. Петрушко, Очерки по истории Русской Церкви. С древнейших времен до середины XV в., Москва, Издательство Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета, 2022, 512 с.; Петрушко В. И., Очерки по истории Русской Церкви. Середина XV в. – конец XVI в, Москва, Издательство Православного СвятоТихоновского гуманитарного университета, 2022, 496 с.; Петрушко В. И., Очерки по истории Русской Церкви. Первый патриарший период. (конец XVI – XVII в.) Издательство Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета, Москва, 2023, 464 с.;

Od Rzeczypospolitej Obojga Narodów do Imperium Rosyjskiego: Kościół greckounicki ukraińskiego Podola (koniec XVIII wieku – lata 30. XIX wieku)

Author(s): Viktoria Bilyk / Language(s): Polish Issue: 31/2024

The publication, based on an analysis of archival documents and scientific literature, describes the state of the Greek Orthodox Church in Ukrainian Podolia. The political conditions of the functioning of this Church are shown. It discusses how, as a result of the three divisions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Ukrainian lands, including Podolia, became part of the Russian Empire. The religious policy of the Russian emperors towards the Greek-Uniates of the Podolia province was analysed. It reports that all government actions were aimed at eliminating the Greek-speaking Church. Force and punitive divisions were used in the process of turning the population back to Orthodoxy. The structure of the Greek Orthodox Church in the province and the changes taking place in it were shown. The process of reduction in the number of deaneries, parishes and the parishioners in them was monitored. Separately, the publication presents the network of Basilian monasteries. It should be noted that they were the mainstay of the Greek Orthodox Church in the region. Therefore, the authorities particularly focused on the process of their elimination. All in all, it is established that after the partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the entry of Podolia into the Russian Empire, the Greek Orthodox Church succumbed to strong pressure and was completely liquidated three decades later.

Въпросът за трансцендентността и иманентността на Бога в мрежите на византийската философия

Author(s): Milan Đorđević / Language(s): Macedonian Issue: 30/2024

In Byzantine thought, theology is understood primarily in two senses: first, as the direct experience of knowing God and engaging in immediate communion with Him; and second, as the conceptual articulation of this experience through various forms of discourse–ranging from philosophy and rhetoric to art and music. These two senses are deeply interrelated and mutually conditioning. However, this paper will not explore their historical development, interconnections, or evolution. Instead, we will focus on a central question underlying both senses of theology: the belief that God can be known and that such knowledge can be expressed discursively. To address this, we will examine the question of God’s transcendence and immanence and how these concepts are approached within the Byzantine theological-philosophical tradition. Our analysis will consider three foundational discourses through which Christianity addresses this question: the biblical, the liturgical-homiletic, and the philosophical discourse.

Още за епиграфския материал от скалните обители по Шуменското плато

Author(s): Georgi Kanchev / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2024

Originating as separate monastic monasteries in close connection with the churches that arose in the process of the Christianisation of Bulgaria at the foot of the slopes, the rock churches and monasteries on the Shumen plateau gradually reached their spiritual and cultural heyday with the entry and consolidation of Hesychasm in the 13th and 14th centuries. In the present work, special attention is paid to the inscriptions, testifying that the monastic colony on the Shumen Plateau was also connected with the large-scale church construction from the end of the 9th—beginning in the 10th century, after which it underwent a number of reconstructions in the following centuries. On the one hand, as in other monasteries from North-Eastern Bulgaria, the presence of proto-Bulgarian runic signs gives reason to consider the monastic practices on the Shumen Plateau in the context of the inclusion of the proto-Bulgarian ethnic group in the Christian faith. Finally, the inscriptions in the rock dwellings in the Osmarsko-Troitski Boaz—the so-called Troitski ktetor's inscription, the inscriptions in the Momina skala hermitage, and the Direklia rock church—reflect the transfer of heavenly patronage from ruined churches at the foot of the plateau. The rich epigraphic material (e.g., the so-called Inscription of the Grammarian Andrey, the anonymous grave inscription under Mamiltash in Troitski Boaz), the fragments of painting that have reached us (e.g., traces of frescoes and icon painting in the so-called Kostadin Monastery), and the individual reconstructions and expansions of the sacral space of the rock complexes eloquently support the observation that in its development the monastic colony took shape as a complete Shumenska Mala Sveta Gora.

Свети Висарион Исповедник и његова борба против црквене уније у Трансилванији

Author(s): Željko Malešević / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 2/2024

This article analyses the life and deeds of Saint Visarion Saraj and the historical results of his deeds. This saint was of Serbian descent, but remained relatively unknown in the Serbian-speaking world until today. Therefore, this article aims to bring Saint Visarion Saraj closer to the Serbian reading public. Visarion played the most important role in preventing the spread of the Church Union and Catholicism in Transylvania at the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th century. In addition to the life and deeds of the saint, this article analyses the social and religious situation in Transylvania at that time, as well as the process of deciding the Church Union between the local Orthodox Church and the Roman Church. This process was presented to the readers at the beginning of the article, and then the actions and working methods of Saint Visarion Saraj against the Union were analysed and discussed. At the end of the article, the canonization of Visarion Saraj and the reception of his deeds and personality in the modern world were also briefly presented.