site.btaNational Library to Present Phototype Edition of Adzhar Tetraevangelion

The phototype full-colour edition of the Adzhar Tetraevangelion of 1652, which the Library is publishing in a limited edition of 200 numbered copies on the occasion of its 144th anniversary, will be presented at 6:00 p.m on January 31 in the central foyer of the National Library. 

The Adzhar Tetraevangelion [Four Gospels] is one of the few remaining manuscripts featuring the scribe's signature and the only gospel of the 17th century Adzhar Literary School with preserved illumination of miniatures. It was added to the collection of the National Library in the late 1970s or early 1980s and is the most distinctive manuscript of the Adzhar School preserved in Bulgaria.

In the series of editions of manuscripts from the Library, the full-colour phototype is distinguished by its polygraphic qualities, which bring the deluxe copy as close as possible to its original. The bilingual text of the edition is by Prof. Elisaveta Moussakova.

"Eight manuscripts, the work of Adzhar scribes have been preserved at the National Library, among them Father Yovko, the founder of the school, as well as the teachers Nedyalko and Filip, ," said Prof. Moussakova, who is also the author of the afterword in the publication.

Guests at the January 31 event will have the opportunity to learn about the work on the phototype copy, the specifics of its production and the importance of the Adzhar Literary School for Bulgarian cultural history, as well as to purchase the publication, the National Library added.

[The Adzhar or Karlovo-Adzhar School (after the village of Adzhar, now Svezhen near Karlovo) was one of the most vibrant literary hubs during the Ottoman era, establishing itself as a scribal, damascene and artistic centre. The literary life of the village was most active in the 17th century].