Bachkovo Monastery keeps ancient pearls of Christian art

published on 11/30/11 8:54 AM

Photo: Архив

Rising at the heart of the Rhodope Mountains, the walls of Assumption of Virgin Mary Bachkovo Monastery keep evidence of its 10-century long history. In fact its heritage is the crossroads of three cultures – Byzantine, Georgian and Bulgarian. The monastery was founded in 1083 when its statutes were laid out by Grigoriy Bakuriani, a great military leader of the western Byzantine troops. Thanks to those statutes that is the earliest dated found in the Bulgarian lands, we can learn more about the history of the place. Leading art historian Dr Kostadinka Paskaleva has written a book about Bachkovo Monastery.

“We have to try hard to live wisely in this world”, Dr Paskaleva quotes a phrase from the monastery’s statutes that also is the opening sentence of her book. “During my one-month stay in the monastery I became aware that this phrase mirrors the pattern of the way of life that monks follow – humble and engrossed, hard-working, assiduous and spiritual. At first the monastery was Georgian as was its founder Grigoriy Bakuriani. A hospital for poor people, a school and three nunneries were part of the monastery compound. This extensive charity activity was quite typical of medieval monasteries.”

The monastery structure includes several churches. The ancient Bakuriani Ossuary is among the few surviving tomb churches in Bulgaria. Its frescoes highlighting death and Resurrection single it out as one of the pearls of medieval art in the Balkans.

The Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Alexander who became monastery donor and patron in 14 c. has been portrayed in the frescoes. Back at that time the region where the monastery stands, was conceded to Bulgaria by the emperor of Byzantium.

„The second most important building in the monastery is the refectory where a special ritual is held reminding of the Last Supper. During meals passionals of saints are read aloud, and so, together with the food, monks also ‘digest’ the great moral examples provided by the forefathers,” Dr Paskaleva explains.

“The refectory itself is dominated by the theme of the Holy Virgin. She is the patron of the male monastic brotherhoods. There is also a fresco of the genealogy tree of Christ where Virgin Mary as his mother is also prominently present.”
At its basis Aristotle, Plato, Plutarch, Diogenes and Aristophanes are all portrayed suggesting the thread that connects Christianity with the great thinkers of the Classical Antiquity.

„This represents an important aspect of the decoration revealing a fascinating fact in the history of Christianity. There is a trend for a new neohumanism that shows in the works of the great philosopher John Italus. John Petritski /1050-1130/ was his disciple. Through to the literary and translating activity that prospered in the monastery, he transformed it into a school for thinkers and philosophers who worked to maintain ties between Georgia and Byzantine.”

The cathedral is another prominent monument in the Bachkovo Monastery. The iconostasis stands out with beautiful and impressive gold-plated decoration and with ancient icons from 17 c. There are portraits of Georgi and Gavriil, two of the monastery’s donors. Another religious monument in the complex is St. Nicholas Church. It is the first church that the prominent Bulgarian Revival artist Zakhari Zograf painted with frescoes. His earliest self-portrait dated in 1840 is also here. In his version of Doomsday the artist of genius has portrayed the Plovdiv highlife as a crowd of sinners.”

The relic that attracts many laymen visiting Bachkovo is the icon of Virgin Mary with the Holy Infant placed in the cathedral. Its casing displays a Georgian text from 1311. The icon was found in the locality of Kluviata amid most legendary circumstances that have for many centuries kept alive the cult for its wonder-working powers. Every year on the second day of Easter a procession goes to visit the place where the icon was found and a service is held. The believers who visit Bachkovo Monastery find here consolation and cure as well as hope of a better life.

Translated by Daniela Konstantinova
Photos: pravoslavieto.com, wikipedia.org

По публикацията работи: Maria Peeva

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Bachkovo Monastery keeps ancient pearls of Christian art

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