Fourteenth Century South Slavonic scribes and scriptoria (palaeographical attribution and online repertorium)
Research Project Nº KP-06-N50/4 30.11.2020 funded by the National Science Fund of Bulgaria

Contractors: Cyrillo-Methodian Research Centre and Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Coordinator of the research team: Marco Scarpa
Team members: Marco Scarpa, Veselka Zhelyaskova, Elissaveta Moussakova, Vasya Velinova, Iva Trifonova, Milena Davidović, Constanta Burlacu, Marta Riparante, Desislava Paneva-Marinova, Radoslav Pavlov, Maxim Goynov and Jordan Stoikov.

The objective of this project is to collect data from primary medieval written sources and to present it to the scientific community as a reliable instrument for identifying the provenance and defining the manuscripts currently preserved in libraries.  For the realisation of such a grand objective, the project is foremost investigating that kind of information which makes it possible to attribute medieval texts to individual scribes (copyists, writers, calligraphers), as well as cast further light upon South Slavic scribes from the fourteenth century – a period of high importance for the cultural and historical development of the Balkans, which ultimately influenced the cultural dynamics of Europe in its entirety. The information gathered from the primary sources will then be analysed and processed by an online repertorium, publicly accessible by everyone. The repertorium will be developed based on a solid theoretical foundation and a proved scientific method, both approaches which are currently missing in medieval studies. Additionally, by collecting and classifying the necessary information for an accurate identification of individual scribes, the scientific community will benefit from acquiring new knowledge about the structure and activity of the calligraphic schools in which they were educated and worked.

Last events

	The Cyrillo-Methodian Research Centre at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is pleased to invite you to the official opening of the exhibition „ЈУЖНОСЛОВЕНСКИ ПИСАРИ И СКРИПТОРИЈУМИ ХIV ВЕКА/ FOURTEENTH CENTURY SOUTH SLAVONIC SCRIBES AND SCRIPTORIA“.  ........ The exhibition presents the process of manuscript creation, the science that examines the handwriting – palaeography, as well as eight Bulgarian and eight Serbian copyists who inscribed their names in the manuscripts. ...... It will be displayed in Serbian and English language at the University library "Svetozar Marković" from 22 October to 10 November. ...... The opening will take place on October 22 (Tuesday) in the Gallery of the University Library "Svetozar Marković" in Belgrade. ...... Authors Prof. Dr. Marco Scarpa, Dr. Milena Davidović, Marta Riparante Editors Prof. Dr. Vasya Velinova, Prof. Dr. Elisaveta Musakova Graphic Design Prof. Dr. Totka Grigorova, Anita Borisova
The Slavic Palaeography Summer School is organised by the Cyrillo-Methodian Research Centre at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and is funded by the National Scientific Programme “Development and Recognition of Bulgarian Studies Abroad”. In collaboration with the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the Centre for Slavo-Byzantine Studies “Prof. Ivan Dujčev” and the SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library, we offer the participants a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience working in the field of Slavic Palaeography according to its latest analysis methods and study approaches. The Summer School will take place from 22 to 27 July in Sofia, Bulgaria. Our daily activities will be hosted by several academic institutions and will see a series of morning lectures related to Slavic historical and cultural context and Slavic palaeography, followed by afternoon workshops focusing on South Slavic handwritings. This introductory section on Slavic palaeography will be followed by an advanced section involving the active participation of students through palaeographic research work on several 14th-century South Slavic manuscripts.