Le livre comme patrimoine pour l’avenir selon les inscriptions des manuscrits BAR 670 et BNIV 73 (The Book as a Legacy for the Future according to Manuscripts BAR 670 and IVNL 73)

Bulgarian Historical Review, 54 (2026), No. 2, pp. 03-12
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71069/BHR2.26.DP01

Denitsa Petrova

Assoc. Prof. Denitsa Petrova, Ph.D. - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Institute for Historical Studies, 52 Shipchenski Prohod Blvd., build. 17, Sofia 1113, Bulgaria, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6804-4411; E-mail: denitsa_kp@abv.bg

Abstract: A number of manuscripts contain inscriptions that report that the book was donated to a church or monastery. They follow a similar pattern. The purpose of this study is an analysis of two inscriptions that are distinguished. One is found in the 16th century Four Gospels, BAR 670. It was donated by the nun Paravina for the forgiveness of sins not only of her children, but also of all the living and the dead. Later, the manuscript was bought by Tofan, his wife and son and donated to another temple. The one who will read the book must pray for his entire people. The other manuscript is the Triodion of 1636, the so-called Pop Yovko’s Pentecostal, No. 73 in the Ivan Vazov National Library in Plovdiv. The book was bought by the shepherd Bono and is supposed to protect the souls of his relatives, even when the village ceases to exist. The two inscriptions present the book as a legacy for the future – in the first case a collective one, and in the second a family one. They are a testament to how seriously the donated books are viewed as a means of securing the future of the family.

Keywords: inscriptions; manuscripts; legacy; Four Gospels; Pop Yovko’s Pentecostal

The fulltext of this article can be purchased on CEEOL: https://www.ceeol.com/search/journal-detail?id=125