ivanka gergova | Institute of Art Studies - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (original) (raw)
Papers by ivanka gergova
Slavia Meridionalis, 2024
The article explores the images of Slavic saints on the iconostasis of the Russian Memorial Churc... more The article explores the images of Slavic saints on the iconostasis of the Russian Memorial Church in the town of Shipka in Bulgaria, which were completed in 1899–1901 at the Russian Saint Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos. Its main objective is to analyze the iconostasis’s conceptual framework, the meanings behind the selection of the saints, as well as the main iconographical models utilized. The Committee for the Construction of the Memorial Church and its chairperson Count Nikolay Ignatyev conceived of one tier of images of saints depicting the heroes of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, while a number small icons would feature local Bulgarian and Slavic saints that were to be selected by the monks themselves. The icon painting monks mainly relied on Archbishop Philaret of Chernigov’s book The Saints of the Southern Slavs with engravings by academician Fedor Solntsev as the main source and model for their depictions of saints.
Art Readings 2023, 2024
The text presents legends of miraculous icons in five monasteries in the Plovdiv diocese – Bachk... more The text presents legends of miraculous icons in five monasteries in the Plovdiv diocese – Bachkovo Monastery, Sopot Monastery „Ascension of Christ“, Kaloferski
Monastery, Krichim Monastery „Dormition of the Virgin Mary“, Perushtenski Monastery „Sts. Theodore Tyrone and Theodore Stratilat“. The legends have similar elements:
the icon moves by itself and chooses a place to settle, which in most cases leads to
the construction of a monastery; liturgical processions are made with the icon; healing
springs are present everywhere. Although there are some variations, it can be concluded that the legendary story of the Bachkovo miracle-working icon was a prototype for
the others that arose with the desire to ensure the prosperity of the monastery
Athonite Subjects in the Art across the 18th – 19th-Century Bulgarian Lands The regular and, more... more Athonite Subjects in the Art across the 18th – 19th-Century Bulgarian Lands
The regular and, more often than not, close spiritual and cultural contacts between the Athonite monasteries and the Christians living in the Bulgarian lands led to the forming of a thematic layer in Orthodox art, including “Athonite� subjects. The pilgrimatic tradition played a key role in the existence of representations relating to persons and sacred objects on Mt Athos. The “Athonite" thematic layer includes representations of saints associated with Mt Athos, of Athonite monasteries and Athonite legends or miracles. Still, the main body of representations consists of replicas of wonderworking icons from Athonite monasteries. In Bulgaria
there is a plethora of such artworks and it is almost impossible
to compile and explore them exhaustively. Some of them were
brought from Mt Athos, acquired or exclusively commissioned
there; others were executed by local painters who modelled them
more often than not on graphic examples.
In memoriam. Сборник в памет на проф. д.изк. Елена Попова. Велико Търново, 2023
THE OLDEST ENGRAVING FOR BULGARIAN MONASTERIES In 1712, Leontiy, abbot of the Transfiguration (P... more THE OLDEST ENGRAVING FOR BULGARIAN MONASTERIES
In 1712, Leontiy, abbot of the Transfiguration (Preobrazhenski) Monastery near Veliko Tarnovo, visited Russia to ask for charity for his impoverished monastery. He was accepted by Tsar Petar I and was given alms. It appears that, during his time in Russia, he commissioned a big, copper engraving depicting the monasteries of the Tarnovo Metropolis.
The engraving has been signed by the great Russian etcher Alexey Zubov. A main highlight in the engraving is the depiction of Christ’s Тransfiguration in the sky. On the lower part of it, there is a landscape that depicts the Yantra River flowing between two hills. On the hills,
there are seven monasteries marked with their patrons. We can identify with certainty the Transfiguration, Holy Trinity, Kapinovo, Plakovo, and Lyaskovets monasteries. The Holy Archangels Monastery is most likely the Prisovо Мonastery. The Metropolis Monastery is also depicted, which is located near the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Veliko Tarnovo.
The engraving’s composition is very similar and probably inspired by the panorama images of the Holy Mountain monasteries, which were only two at the beginning of the 18th century. It appears that the monasteries around Veliko Tarnovo have been perceived (or viewed) as the local Holy Mountain. The engraving is one of the first of its kind on the
Balkans and its commissioning is of great significance, even though it is unclear whether copies of it have reached Bulgaria at all.
Българският Северозапад - минало и съвременност, 2022
: The paper makes a review of the church architecture in Northwestern Bulgaria during the times ... more : The paper makes a review of the church architecture in Northwestern Bulgaria
during the times of the Ottoman rule until the end of the 19th century. The most interesting monuments are the orthodox temples, which survived the Chiprovtsi Uprising in
1688. Some of their shapes speak of an influence from the Catholic churches in the area,
which had not been preserved. At the same time, other rare details witness of links with
Sofia and Sofia district, due to the church inclusion of the Chiprovtsi district into the
Sofia diocese. Both of the oldest churches in Vidin, namely, St Panteleimon and St Petka
( from the first half of the 17th c.), are isolated from the rest of the temples in the area with
their careful construction and the very deep and wide apses, which would become emblematic of the Vidin diocese. Both churches were influenced by the church architecture
in the Romanian principalities, whereas in St Panteleimon there is an influence from the
Islamic architectural monuments. In the 19th century, there were masons that worked
in the Berkovitsa and Chiproivtsi regions, who originated from the village of Slavine
in the Pirot region. Their easily discernible churches held elements, which resulted in
defining their style as neo-gothic. It seems that the Slavinian masons cooperated with
their colleagues from the Radomir region, whose buildings we can find now mainly in
the Belogradchik region. They both used stone reliefs on the facades. Since the middle of
the 19th century in the Vidin diocese, masons from Debar were noticed, who gradually
replaced their competitors from other places. The Debar masters got used quite well to
the requirements of the local communities. The picture of the church architecture in the
Vidin diocese during the centuries is colourful, which is due to its specific location at a
crossroads in the region and to the fact that during most of the time there were not many
experienced local masons.
MIRACLES OF THE ARCHANGELS AT DOCHIARIOU MONASTERY. TEXTS AND REPRESENTATIONS IVANKA GERGOVA (I... more MIRACLES OF THE ARCHANGELS AT DOCHIARIOU
MONASTERY. TEXTS AND REPRESENTATIONS
IVANKA GERGOVA
(Institute of Art Studies, Bulgarian Academy of Scences, Sofia)
Abstract: The legendary story of the Athonite Dochiariou Monastery is associated with the protection and help of the Holy archangels. The body of narratives has continued to grow over time to take on its final form in the early sixteenth century. The earliest extant texts are Slavonic translations associated with the pen of Vladislav the Grammarian (the
second half of the fifteenth century). A bilingual (in Greek and Slavonic) manuscript of the late fifteenth century is kept at Dochiariou, providing an account of the miracles worked by the archangels at the monastery. Versions of the Dochiariou legends were gaining currency in Russia to be included in the reading menaia, synaxaria and panegyrika. Thesaurus
by Damascenus Studites played a significant role in the popularity of the miracles. Proskynetarion of the Dochiariou (1843), gave a detailed account of the miracles. The earliest representations of the Dochiariou miracles have been lost, though there are written records of their existence of the fourteenth century. The full cycle of the miracles is illustrated at the catholicon of Dochiariou as well as at the refectory and on the phiale. The monastery published also a series of prints circulating the main scenes of the Dochiariou cycle and rendering them generally available. The earliest in Bulgaria illustration of the miracle with the boy rescued from drowning is at the Church of the Nativity in Arbanassi (1640s). Three of the scenes from the cycle occur on a series of icons of the Archangel Michael with scenes of the miracles of the archangels painted in the late eighteenth and throughout the nineteenth centuries.
An analysis showed that they had been inspired by Damascenus Studites’s Thesaurus. The murals at two churches within the complex of Bachkovo Monastery (of the Holy Archangels and the church of the same name in Kluviata locality) include cycles of scenes of the Dochiariou miracles, modelled on a 1809 Dochiariou print. The emblematic scene depicting the rescue of the boy from the waves is found on iconostases painted by
masters from Debar in the late nineteenth-century Bulgaria’s northwest. A woodcarver, possibly coming from Debar too, sculpted the episode of translating the treasure at the church of the village of Teshevo, the region of Gotse Delchev.
Art Studies Quarterly, 2022
Young Leontios, a taxidiote monk from the Monastery of Chelandari, Russian by birth, arrived in T... more Young Leontios, a taxidiote monk from the Monastery of Chelandari, Russian by birth, arrived in Triavna in 1803. Three copperplate engravings weremade in 1818/19 for the Monastery of Trojan bearing the signature of monk Leontios Russ, who apparently was the same Chelandarian monk. The three engravings were modelled on various Athonite prints. Un ndated graphic work depicting St Charalampos, also bears the signature of monk Leontios, who made its version as well, which has no artist’s signature. Based on the signed artworks, this article ascribes to Leontios two more engravings made in 1822: of the Monastery of Vratsa and of its patron saints, St John of Rila and St John the Theologian. A version of the latter one is supposed to have been intended for the Monastery of Chiprovtsi. A print of the Dormition of the Theotokos was made together with it.
An analysis of Leontios Russ’s artworks identifies him as an Athonite
engraver, though stylistically, his works are associated with the Russian popular prints (luboks). Some form of printing press to produce
prints was supposedly installed at the Monastery of Trojan. Leontios Russ
was among the earliest copperplate engravers in the Bulgarian lands.
![Research paper thumbnail of „Икона на Богородица Горгоепикоос с цикъл чудеса“ [An Icon of Virgin Gorgoepikoos with a Miracle Cycle]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/67737225/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Проблеми на изкуството / Problemi na izkustvoto, 2021
In the Art Gallery “Dimitar Dobrovich” in Sliven an icon of the Virgin Gorgoepikoos (Skoroposlush... more In the Art Gallery “Dimitar Dobrovich” in Sliven an icon of the Virgin Gorgoepikoos (Skoroposlushnica), painted in 1818, is kept. The central representation, according to its inscription and iconography, is a copy of the homonymous miracle-working icon of the Docheiariou monastery on Mount Athos. The Virgin with Christ is surrounded by six medallions with depictions of the miracles, made by the Virgin and her miraculous icon. In two of these scenes there are represented also the archangels Michael and Gabriel. In the lower part of the icon there is a depiction with the ktetors of the Docheiariou monastery - the monks Euthymios and Neophytos, as well as a dedicatory inscription of 1818, which is not wellpreserved. All the inscriptions of the icon are in Greek. To date there are no other known depictions of the miracles of the Sliven’s icon. It seems that they are related to an unpublished manuscript of the Docheiariou monastery, which was used by Nikodemus the Hagiorite in his book Synaxarion. Among the settlements, where the fame of the Virgin Gorgoepikoos was spread, Nikodemus the Hagiorite refers also to the town of Sliven. The icon is related with the metochion of the Docheiariou monastery in Sliven, established at the end of the 18th century. The mentioned in its dedicatory inscription person, named Ioannikios, is probably the same name monk of the Docheiariou monastery, who was oikonomos of the metochion at the beginning of the 19th century.
AN ICON OF THE VIRGIN GORGOEPIKOOS WITH A CYCLE OF HER MIRACLES Ivanka Gergova, Alexandra Ph. Tr... more AN ICON OF THE VIRGIN GORGOEPIKOOS WITH A CYCLE OF HER MIRACLES
Ivanka Gergova, Alexandra Ph. Trifonova
In the Art Gallery “Dimitar Dobrovich” in Sliven an icon of the Virgin Gorgoepikoos (Skoroposlushnica), painted in 1818, is kept. The central representation, according to its inscription and iconography, is a copy of the homonymous miracle-working icon of the Docheiariou monastery on Mount Athos. The Virgin with Christ is surrounded by six medallions with depictions of the miracles, made by the Virgin and her miraculous icon. In two of these scenes there are represented also the archangels Michael and Gabriel. In the lower part of the icon there is a depiction with the ktetors of the Docheiariou monastery - the monks Euthymios and Neophytos, as well as a dedicatory inscription of 1818, which is not wellpreserved. All the inscriptions of the icon are in Greek. To date there are no other known depictions of the miracles of the Sliven’s icon. It seems that they are related to an unpublished manuscript of the Docheiariou monastery, which was used by Nikodemus the Hagiorite in his book Synaxarion. Among the settlements, where the fame of the Virgin Gorgoepikoos was spread, Nikodemus the Hagiorite refers also to the town of Sliven. The icon is related with the metochion of the Docheiariou monastery in Sliven, established at the end of the 18th century. The mentioned in its dedicatory inscription person, named Ioannikios, is probably the same name monk of the Docheiariou monastery, who was oikonomos of the metochion at the beginning of the 19th century.
Museikon, 4, 2020
rezumat: Cercetătorii bulgari au fost preocupaţi de studiul operelor rusești de artă sacră din te... more rezumat: Cercetătorii bulgari au fost preocupaţi de studiul operelor rusești de artă sacră din teritoriile bulgare încă de la mijlocul secolului , deși nu foarte intens. Viitoarele abordări ar trebui să colecteze, să catalogheze și să studieze colecţii mai mari de icoane rusești, tipărituri și obiecte de cult, adunând informaţii despre modalităţile de obţinere a obiectelor, despre donatorii lor și poveștile individuale. O atenţie deosebită se cuvine și pictorilor ruși care au locuit în Bulgaria, precum și bulgarilor care au studiat artele în Rusia, pentru a picta apoi icoane în locurile lor de obârșie. In uenţa artei ortodoxe ruse asupra subiectelor și stilurilor artei bulgare este, de asemenea, un domeniu de cercetare care promite foarte mult. cuvinte cheie: icoane rusești, icoane ăcătoare de minuni, gravuri, lubok, relaţii artistice. Ivanka Gergova Институт за изследване на изкуствата, Българска академия на науките, So a () résumé: Dès le milieu du e siècle, les chercheurs bulgares s'intéressent à l'étude des oeuvres d'art religieux russe qui sont arrivées dans l'aire culturelle bulgare ; mais ces études n'ont jamais été menées de manière intensive. Les futures approches devront collecter, cataloguer et étudier les collections plus importantes d'icônes, d'estampes et d'objets russes de culte, en rassemblant toutes les informations nécessaires qui concernent les modalités d'acqui-sition de ces objets, leurs donateurs et leurs histoires individuelles. Une a ention particulière devra être accordée aux peintres russes qui ont vécu en Bulgarie, ainsi qu'aux Bulgares qui ont étudié les arts en Russie, sachant que ces derniers ont peint des icônes après le retour en Bulgarie. L'in uence de l'art orthodoxe russe sur les sujets abordés et les styles utilisés dans l'art bulgare pourra compléter ce panorama. La présente étude se propose de faire le bilan des recherches en cours.
Depictions of Saint Sava in Bulgarian Art in the th and th centuries S u m m a r y The depict... more Depictions of Saint Sava in Bulgarian
Art in the th and th centuries
S u m m a r y
The depictions of Saint Sava of Serbia dating from the last quarter of the 18th
century or the early 19th century presented in the paper originate from a wide
geographic area and in most cases it is possible to establish a direct or indirect
connection with the Hilandar monastery. In the late 18th and early 19th century,
the paintings showing Saint Sava were mostly brought from Mount Athos or
painted locally by Athonite artists. Nevertheless, the depictions of the Serbian
saint became part of the repertoire of zograph-style artists in Bulgarian painting
centres. Each depiction has its own historical context and meaning, which are
explored in the paper. Saint Sava of Serbia was well known among Bulgarians in
the studied period and was respected as the founder of the Hilandar monastery
and the person closely associated with the exceptionally popular miraculous icon
of the Three-Handed Virgin Mary, and this is clearly seen in the studied images.
Special attention should be paid to two hagiographic cycles, exceptionally rare
at that time, which reveal detailed knowledge of the life of Saint Sava, as well as
great respect for this saint. Refined details in designing the depictions the Serbian
saint are particularly typical of the Rila Monastery, which is also the site with the
highest concentration of his images.
Art Readings 2020, 2021
To Jerusalem and Back: Topography and Iconography of Pilgrimage in the Eastern Mediterranean (18t... more To Jerusalem and Back: Topography and Iconography
of Pilgrimage in the Eastern Mediterranean
(18th–19th Century).
The big canvasses called “Jerusalem icons” (Jerusalimija) by the Eastern
Orthodox Slavs were at first topographic depictions of Jerusalem and the
sacred places around it being sites of worship, sometimes with the inscription:
Η ΑΓΙΑ ΠΟΛΙΣ ΙΕΡΟΥΣΑΛΗΜ ΚΑΙ ΤΑ ΠΕΡΙΧΩΡΑ ΑΥΤΗ. In the
late 18th c. some new elements appeared in the complex composition which
point out to other sacred places in the Eastern Mediterranean: the miraculous
icon of the Holy Mother of God from the Kykkos Monastery in Cyprus,
the Holy Mother of God of the Life-Giving Spring from Constantinople, the
Mount Athos monasteries, Mount Sinai. There are relatively few similar examples
that can be defined as total proskynetaria and they probably appeared
made to special order of pilgrims. The Jerusalem icons in Bulgarian
collections with depictions of St. John of Rila and his monastery and of St.
St. Cyril and Methodius as well as the appearance of St. Sava of Serbia in
canvases ordered by Serbian pilgrims are also interesting. The very road of
pilgrims is marked by the port of Jaffa and the caravan of camels heading to
the holy city of Jerusalem.
L`Ecole artistique de Tryavna existe de le commencement du XVIIIe siècle. Au début les maîtres de... more L`Ecole artistique de Tryavna existe de le commencement du XVIIIe siècle. Au début les maîtres de Tryavna travaillent aux environs de Veliko Tarnovo. De la moitié du siècle on les trouve à Nessebar, Pomorie, Sozopol et à Brodilovo et Malko Tarnovo en Strandja. Ce sont des examples de l`expansion territorial de l`Ecole artistique de Tryavna. Ses peintres et sculpteurs font la concurrence réussi aux maîtres locaux. Mobilité et adaptation sont les qualités caractéristiques des artistes de Tryavna pendant la long durée de l`Ecole.
Art Readings 2019, 2020
A number of common motifs occur in accounts of construction and renovation of churches within the... more A number of common motifs occur in accounts of construction and renovation of churches within the Bulgarian lands in the National Revival period. One of them is about building a church within 40 days. The sacral meaning of this figure suggests a deliberate mythologisation of the real act of construction. The article analyses several such occurrences, arriving at the conclusion that these have never been eyewitness accounts and the churches under consideration could not have been built within the time specified.
A number of other topoi relating to the legends of renovation of churches are also outlined: building secretly in the nighttime; successful attempts to deceive the authorities; sinking the church in the earth and enclosing it with high walls. Similar records are referred to that have been composed even before the Liberation.
Art Studies Quarterly, 2019
The article deals with the different functional characteristics of St Tryphon`s imagery: calendar... more The article deals with the different functional characteristics of St Tryphon`s imagery: calendaric, reprezentative, ritual, function of individual piety,
Slavia Meridionalis, 2024
The article explores the images of Slavic saints on the iconostasis of the Russian Memorial Churc... more The article explores the images of Slavic saints on the iconostasis of the Russian Memorial Church in the town of Shipka in Bulgaria, which were completed in 1899–1901 at the Russian Saint Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos. Its main objective is to analyze the iconostasis’s conceptual framework, the meanings behind the selection of the saints, as well as the main iconographical models utilized. The Committee for the Construction of the Memorial Church and its chairperson Count Nikolay Ignatyev conceived of one tier of images of saints depicting the heroes of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, while a number small icons would feature local Bulgarian and Slavic saints that were to be selected by the monks themselves. The icon painting monks mainly relied on Archbishop Philaret of Chernigov’s book The Saints of the Southern Slavs with engravings by academician Fedor Solntsev as the main source and model for their depictions of saints.
Art Readings 2023, 2024
The text presents legends of miraculous icons in five monasteries in the Plovdiv diocese – Bachk... more The text presents legends of miraculous icons in five monasteries in the Plovdiv diocese – Bachkovo Monastery, Sopot Monastery „Ascension of Christ“, Kaloferski
Monastery, Krichim Monastery „Dormition of the Virgin Mary“, Perushtenski Monastery „Sts. Theodore Tyrone and Theodore Stratilat“. The legends have similar elements:
the icon moves by itself and chooses a place to settle, which in most cases leads to
the construction of a monastery; liturgical processions are made with the icon; healing
springs are present everywhere. Although there are some variations, it can be concluded that the legendary story of the Bachkovo miracle-working icon was a prototype for
the others that arose with the desire to ensure the prosperity of the monastery
Athonite Subjects in the Art across the 18th – 19th-Century Bulgarian Lands The regular and, more... more Athonite Subjects in the Art across the 18th – 19th-Century Bulgarian Lands
The regular and, more often than not, close spiritual and cultural contacts between the Athonite monasteries and the Christians living in the Bulgarian lands led to the forming of a thematic layer in Orthodox art, including “Athonite� subjects. The pilgrimatic tradition played a key role in the existence of representations relating to persons and sacred objects on Mt Athos. The “Athonite" thematic layer includes representations of saints associated with Mt Athos, of Athonite monasteries and Athonite legends or miracles. Still, the main body of representations consists of replicas of wonderworking icons from Athonite monasteries. In Bulgaria
there is a plethora of such artworks and it is almost impossible
to compile and explore them exhaustively. Some of them were
brought from Mt Athos, acquired or exclusively commissioned
there; others were executed by local painters who modelled them
more often than not on graphic examples.
In memoriam. Сборник в памет на проф. д.изк. Елена Попова. Велико Търново, 2023
THE OLDEST ENGRAVING FOR BULGARIAN MONASTERIES In 1712, Leontiy, abbot of the Transfiguration (P... more THE OLDEST ENGRAVING FOR BULGARIAN MONASTERIES
In 1712, Leontiy, abbot of the Transfiguration (Preobrazhenski) Monastery near Veliko Tarnovo, visited Russia to ask for charity for his impoverished monastery. He was accepted by Tsar Petar I and was given alms. It appears that, during his time in Russia, he commissioned a big, copper engraving depicting the monasteries of the Tarnovo Metropolis.
The engraving has been signed by the great Russian etcher Alexey Zubov. A main highlight in the engraving is the depiction of Christ’s Тransfiguration in the sky. On the lower part of it, there is a landscape that depicts the Yantra River flowing between two hills. On the hills,
there are seven monasteries marked with their patrons. We can identify with certainty the Transfiguration, Holy Trinity, Kapinovo, Plakovo, and Lyaskovets monasteries. The Holy Archangels Monastery is most likely the Prisovо Мonastery. The Metropolis Monastery is also depicted, which is located near the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Veliko Tarnovo.
The engraving’s composition is very similar and probably inspired by the panorama images of the Holy Mountain monasteries, which were only two at the beginning of the 18th century. It appears that the monasteries around Veliko Tarnovo have been perceived (or viewed) as the local Holy Mountain. The engraving is one of the first of its kind on the
Balkans and its commissioning is of great significance, even though it is unclear whether copies of it have reached Bulgaria at all.
Българският Северозапад - минало и съвременност, 2022
: The paper makes a review of the church architecture in Northwestern Bulgaria during the times ... more : The paper makes a review of the church architecture in Northwestern Bulgaria
during the times of the Ottoman rule until the end of the 19th century. The most interesting monuments are the orthodox temples, which survived the Chiprovtsi Uprising in
1688. Some of their shapes speak of an influence from the Catholic churches in the area,
which had not been preserved. At the same time, other rare details witness of links with
Sofia and Sofia district, due to the church inclusion of the Chiprovtsi district into the
Sofia diocese. Both of the oldest churches in Vidin, namely, St Panteleimon and St Petka
( from the first half of the 17th c.), are isolated from the rest of the temples in the area with
their careful construction and the very deep and wide apses, which would become emblematic of the Vidin diocese. Both churches were influenced by the church architecture
in the Romanian principalities, whereas in St Panteleimon there is an influence from the
Islamic architectural monuments. In the 19th century, there were masons that worked
in the Berkovitsa and Chiproivtsi regions, who originated from the village of Slavine
in the Pirot region. Their easily discernible churches held elements, which resulted in
defining their style as neo-gothic. It seems that the Slavinian masons cooperated with
their colleagues from the Radomir region, whose buildings we can find now mainly in
the Belogradchik region. They both used stone reliefs on the facades. Since the middle of
the 19th century in the Vidin diocese, masons from Debar were noticed, who gradually
replaced their competitors from other places. The Debar masters got used quite well to
the requirements of the local communities. The picture of the church architecture in the
Vidin diocese during the centuries is colourful, which is due to its specific location at a
crossroads in the region and to the fact that during most of the time there were not many
experienced local masons.
MIRACLES OF THE ARCHANGELS AT DOCHIARIOU MONASTERY. TEXTS AND REPRESENTATIONS IVANKA GERGOVA (I... more MIRACLES OF THE ARCHANGELS AT DOCHIARIOU
MONASTERY. TEXTS AND REPRESENTATIONS
IVANKA GERGOVA
(Institute of Art Studies, Bulgarian Academy of Scences, Sofia)
Abstract: The legendary story of the Athonite Dochiariou Monastery is associated with the protection and help of the Holy archangels. The body of narratives has continued to grow over time to take on its final form in the early sixteenth century. The earliest extant texts are Slavonic translations associated with the pen of Vladislav the Grammarian (the
second half of the fifteenth century). A bilingual (in Greek and Slavonic) manuscript of the late fifteenth century is kept at Dochiariou, providing an account of the miracles worked by the archangels at the monastery. Versions of the Dochiariou legends were gaining currency in Russia to be included in the reading menaia, synaxaria and panegyrika. Thesaurus
by Damascenus Studites played a significant role in the popularity of the miracles. Proskynetarion of the Dochiariou (1843), gave a detailed account of the miracles. The earliest representations of the Dochiariou miracles have been lost, though there are written records of their existence of the fourteenth century. The full cycle of the miracles is illustrated at the catholicon of Dochiariou as well as at the refectory and on the phiale. The monastery published also a series of prints circulating the main scenes of the Dochiariou cycle and rendering them generally available. The earliest in Bulgaria illustration of the miracle with the boy rescued from drowning is at the Church of the Nativity in Arbanassi (1640s). Three of the scenes from the cycle occur on a series of icons of the Archangel Michael with scenes of the miracles of the archangels painted in the late eighteenth and throughout the nineteenth centuries.
An analysis showed that they had been inspired by Damascenus Studites’s Thesaurus. The murals at two churches within the complex of Bachkovo Monastery (of the Holy Archangels and the church of the same name in Kluviata locality) include cycles of scenes of the Dochiariou miracles, modelled on a 1809 Dochiariou print. The emblematic scene depicting the rescue of the boy from the waves is found on iconostases painted by
masters from Debar in the late nineteenth-century Bulgaria’s northwest. A woodcarver, possibly coming from Debar too, sculpted the episode of translating the treasure at the church of the village of Teshevo, the region of Gotse Delchev.
Art Studies Quarterly, 2022
Young Leontios, a taxidiote monk from the Monastery of Chelandari, Russian by birth, arrived in T... more Young Leontios, a taxidiote monk from the Monastery of Chelandari, Russian by birth, arrived in Triavna in 1803. Three copperplate engravings weremade in 1818/19 for the Monastery of Trojan bearing the signature of monk Leontios Russ, who apparently was the same Chelandarian monk. The three engravings were modelled on various Athonite prints. Un ndated graphic work depicting St Charalampos, also bears the signature of monk Leontios, who made its version as well, which has no artist’s signature. Based on the signed artworks, this article ascribes to Leontios two more engravings made in 1822: of the Monastery of Vratsa and of its patron saints, St John of Rila and St John the Theologian. A version of the latter one is supposed to have been intended for the Monastery of Chiprovtsi. A print of the Dormition of the Theotokos was made together with it.
An analysis of Leontios Russ’s artworks identifies him as an Athonite
engraver, though stylistically, his works are associated with the Russian popular prints (luboks). Some form of printing press to produce
prints was supposedly installed at the Monastery of Trojan. Leontios Russ
was among the earliest copperplate engravers in the Bulgarian lands.
Проблеми на изкуството / Problemi na izkustvoto, 2021
In the Art Gallery “Dimitar Dobrovich” in Sliven an icon of the Virgin Gorgoepikoos (Skoroposlush... more In the Art Gallery “Dimitar Dobrovich” in Sliven an icon of the Virgin Gorgoepikoos (Skoroposlushnica), painted in 1818, is kept. The central representation, according to its inscription and iconography, is a copy of the homonymous miracle-working icon of the Docheiariou monastery on Mount Athos. The Virgin with Christ is surrounded by six medallions with depictions of the miracles, made by the Virgin and her miraculous icon. In two of these scenes there are represented also the archangels Michael and Gabriel. In the lower part of the icon there is a depiction with the ktetors of the Docheiariou monastery - the monks Euthymios and Neophytos, as well as a dedicatory inscription of 1818, which is not wellpreserved. All the inscriptions of the icon are in Greek. To date there are no other known depictions of the miracles of the Sliven’s icon. It seems that they are related to an unpublished manuscript of the Docheiariou monastery, which was used by Nikodemus the Hagiorite in his book Synaxarion. Among the settlements, where the fame of the Virgin Gorgoepikoos was spread, Nikodemus the Hagiorite refers also to the town of Sliven. The icon is related with the metochion of the Docheiariou monastery in Sliven, established at the end of the 18th century. The mentioned in its dedicatory inscription person, named Ioannikios, is probably the same name monk of the Docheiariou monastery, who was oikonomos of the metochion at the beginning of the 19th century.
AN ICON OF THE VIRGIN GORGOEPIKOOS WITH A CYCLE OF HER MIRACLES Ivanka Gergova, Alexandra Ph. Tr... more AN ICON OF THE VIRGIN GORGOEPIKOOS WITH A CYCLE OF HER MIRACLES
Ivanka Gergova, Alexandra Ph. Trifonova
In the Art Gallery “Dimitar Dobrovich” in Sliven an icon of the Virgin Gorgoepikoos (Skoroposlushnica), painted in 1818, is kept. The central representation, according to its inscription and iconography, is a copy of the homonymous miracle-working icon of the Docheiariou monastery on Mount Athos. The Virgin with Christ is surrounded by six medallions with depictions of the miracles, made by the Virgin and her miraculous icon. In two of these scenes there are represented also the archangels Michael and Gabriel. In the lower part of the icon there is a depiction with the ktetors of the Docheiariou monastery - the monks Euthymios and Neophytos, as well as a dedicatory inscription of 1818, which is not wellpreserved. All the inscriptions of the icon are in Greek. To date there are no other known depictions of the miracles of the Sliven’s icon. It seems that they are related to an unpublished manuscript of the Docheiariou monastery, which was used by Nikodemus the Hagiorite in his book Synaxarion. Among the settlements, where the fame of the Virgin Gorgoepikoos was spread, Nikodemus the Hagiorite refers also to the town of Sliven. The icon is related with the metochion of the Docheiariou monastery in Sliven, established at the end of the 18th century. The mentioned in its dedicatory inscription person, named Ioannikios, is probably the same name monk of the Docheiariou monastery, who was oikonomos of the metochion at the beginning of the 19th century.
Museikon, 4, 2020
rezumat: Cercetătorii bulgari au fost preocupaţi de studiul operelor rusești de artă sacră din te... more rezumat: Cercetătorii bulgari au fost preocupaţi de studiul operelor rusești de artă sacră din teritoriile bulgare încă de la mijlocul secolului , deși nu foarte intens. Viitoarele abordări ar trebui să colecteze, să catalogheze și să studieze colecţii mai mari de icoane rusești, tipărituri și obiecte de cult, adunând informaţii despre modalităţile de obţinere a obiectelor, despre donatorii lor și poveștile individuale. O atenţie deosebită se cuvine și pictorilor ruși care au locuit în Bulgaria, precum și bulgarilor care au studiat artele în Rusia, pentru a picta apoi icoane în locurile lor de obârșie. In uenţa artei ortodoxe ruse asupra subiectelor și stilurilor artei bulgare este, de asemenea, un domeniu de cercetare care promite foarte mult. cuvinte cheie: icoane rusești, icoane ăcătoare de minuni, gravuri, lubok, relaţii artistice. Ivanka Gergova Институт за изследване на изкуствата, Българска академия на науките, So a () résumé: Dès le milieu du e siècle, les chercheurs bulgares s'intéressent à l'étude des oeuvres d'art religieux russe qui sont arrivées dans l'aire culturelle bulgare ; mais ces études n'ont jamais été menées de manière intensive. Les futures approches devront collecter, cataloguer et étudier les collections plus importantes d'icônes, d'estampes et d'objets russes de culte, en rassemblant toutes les informations nécessaires qui concernent les modalités d'acqui-sition de ces objets, leurs donateurs et leurs histoires individuelles. Une a ention particulière devra être accordée aux peintres russes qui ont vécu en Bulgarie, ainsi qu'aux Bulgares qui ont étudié les arts en Russie, sachant que ces derniers ont peint des icônes après le retour en Bulgarie. L'in uence de l'art orthodoxe russe sur les sujets abordés et les styles utilisés dans l'art bulgare pourra compléter ce panorama. La présente étude se propose de faire le bilan des recherches en cours.
Depictions of Saint Sava in Bulgarian Art in the th and th centuries S u m m a r y The depict... more Depictions of Saint Sava in Bulgarian
Art in the th and th centuries
S u m m a r y
The depictions of Saint Sava of Serbia dating from the last quarter of the 18th
century or the early 19th century presented in the paper originate from a wide
geographic area and in most cases it is possible to establish a direct or indirect
connection with the Hilandar monastery. In the late 18th and early 19th century,
the paintings showing Saint Sava were mostly brought from Mount Athos or
painted locally by Athonite artists. Nevertheless, the depictions of the Serbian
saint became part of the repertoire of zograph-style artists in Bulgarian painting
centres. Each depiction has its own historical context and meaning, which are
explored in the paper. Saint Sava of Serbia was well known among Bulgarians in
the studied period and was respected as the founder of the Hilandar monastery
and the person closely associated with the exceptionally popular miraculous icon
of the Three-Handed Virgin Mary, and this is clearly seen in the studied images.
Special attention should be paid to two hagiographic cycles, exceptionally rare
at that time, which reveal detailed knowledge of the life of Saint Sava, as well as
great respect for this saint. Refined details in designing the depictions the Serbian
saint are particularly typical of the Rila Monastery, which is also the site with the
highest concentration of his images.
Art Readings 2020, 2021
To Jerusalem and Back: Topography and Iconography of Pilgrimage in the Eastern Mediterranean (18t... more To Jerusalem and Back: Topography and Iconography
of Pilgrimage in the Eastern Mediterranean
(18th–19th Century).
The big canvasses called “Jerusalem icons” (Jerusalimija) by the Eastern
Orthodox Slavs were at first topographic depictions of Jerusalem and the
sacred places around it being sites of worship, sometimes with the inscription:
Η ΑΓΙΑ ΠΟΛΙΣ ΙΕΡΟΥΣΑΛΗΜ ΚΑΙ ΤΑ ΠΕΡΙΧΩΡΑ ΑΥΤΗ. In the
late 18th c. some new elements appeared in the complex composition which
point out to other sacred places in the Eastern Mediterranean: the miraculous
icon of the Holy Mother of God from the Kykkos Monastery in Cyprus,
the Holy Mother of God of the Life-Giving Spring from Constantinople, the
Mount Athos monasteries, Mount Sinai. There are relatively few similar examples
that can be defined as total proskynetaria and they probably appeared
made to special order of pilgrims. The Jerusalem icons in Bulgarian
collections with depictions of St. John of Rila and his monastery and of St.
St. Cyril and Methodius as well as the appearance of St. Sava of Serbia in
canvases ordered by Serbian pilgrims are also interesting. The very road of
pilgrims is marked by the port of Jaffa and the caravan of camels heading to
the holy city of Jerusalem.
L`Ecole artistique de Tryavna existe de le commencement du XVIIIe siècle. Au début les maîtres de... more L`Ecole artistique de Tryavna existe de le commencement du XVIIIe siècle. Au début les maîtres de Tryavna travaillent aux environs de Veliko Tarnovo. De la moitié du siècle on les trouve à Nessebar, Pomorie, Sozopol et à Brodilovo et Malko Tarnovo en Strandja. Ce sont des examples de l`expansion territorial de l`Ecole artistique de Tryavna. Ses peintres et sculpteurs font la concurrence réussi aux maîtres locaux. Mobilité et adaptation sont les qualités caractéristiques des artistes de Tryavna pendant la long durée de l`Ecole.
Art Readings 2019, 2020
A number of common motifs occur in accounts of construction and renovation of churches within the... more A number of common motifs occur in accounts of construction and renovation of churches within the Bulgarian lands in the National Revival period. One of them is about building a church within 40 days. The sacral meaning of this figure suggests a deliberate mythologisation of the real act of construction. The article analyses several such occurrences, arriving at the conclusion that these have never been eyewitness accounts and the churches under consideration could not have been built within the time specified.
A number of other topoi relating to the legends of renovation of churches are also outlined: building secretly in the nighttime; successful attempts to deceive the authorities; sinking the church in the earth and enclosing it with high walls. Similar records are referred to that have been composed even before the Liberation.
Art Studies Quarterly, 2019
The article deals with the different functional characteristics of St Tryphon`s imagery: calendar... more The article deals with the different functional characteristics of St Tryphon`s imagery: calendaric, reprezentative, ritual, function of individual piety,
The main question this volume tries to answer is what artworks were brought from the Holy Land by... more The main question this volume tries to answer is what artworks were brought from the Holy Land by the pilgrims and how they functioned here. In the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Holy Land, a whole industry developed, manufacturing and trading in objects acquired by believers: large and small representations on canvases, wood, stone, bones, mother-of-pearl, icons, engravings and lithographs, rosaries, baptismal crosses, altar crosses, wax „Christ’s footprints“, imprinted burial shrouds, etc. Some of the Bulgarian pilgrims even imported loads of such artefacts to their native places. The objects brought from the „Lord’s Grave“ (the popular with the Bulgarians place name of Jerusalem) were regarded as mementoes; some of them were blessed or hallowed in advance, becoming „eulogiae“. Regardless of their further fate or functioning, they
were a token of a pilgrim’s newly achieved social status.
Въпреки обобщеното заглавие настоящата книга не си поставя амбициозната задача да представи в пъ... more Въпреки обобщеното заглавие настоящата книга не си
поставя амбициозната задача да представи в пълнота проблема за почитаните в християнството и исляма стъпки. Тя е
пръв опит в българската научна книжнина за неговото обобщено представяне с акцент върху материала, намиращ се на
българска територия. Според научния профил на авторите
тук са използвани подходи от изкуствознанието, антропологията и филологията
Книгата се издава в рамките на научноизследователския проект между БАН и МАНУ "Споделено художест... more Книгата се издава в рамките на научноизследователския проект между БАН и МАНУ "Споделено художествено наследство XVIII-XIX век" Институт за изследване на изкуствата-БАН © Иванка Гергова, Иван Ванев, Майя Захариева, Дарина Бойкина, автори © Иван Ванев, Милан Миланов, Василий Миланов, фотографии © Иванка Гергова, съставителство и научна редакция ISBN 978-619-7619-00-3 Изданието е реализирано с финансова подкрепа от Видинска света митрополия
В книгата е проследена църковната история на град Берковица, историята на храма "Рождество Богоро... more В книгата е проследена църковната история на град Берковица, историята на храма "Рождество Богородично", некропола в двора му, църковната архитектура, вътрешната украса. Църквата е строена през 1843 г., иконостасът е от самоковски майстори.
Култът към Богородица и вярата в нейното чудотворство Чудеса на Богородица/1. Текстове 2. Система... more Култът към Богородица и вярата в нейното чудотворство
Чудеса на Богородица/1. Текстове 2. Систематичен преглед на чудесата
Изображения на чудеса на Богородица
Чудотворни икони на Богородица, почитани през Възраждането
Бачковска, Рилска, Роженска, Троянска, Ловешка, Арбанашка, Варненска, Търновска, Несебърска, Либяховска, Калоферска, Перущщенска, Кричимска, Горноводенска, други