Dobromir Gospel. Tetraevangelion.
12th cent. (fols. 1-151v, 153r-175v, 177r-182v), Middle Bulgarian version; 14th cent. (fols. 40v-41r, 152r, 175v-176v, 182v, 184r-196v), Serbian version. Palimpsest (fols. 40v, 41r, 101r, 142v, 161v-162, 169v-170r, 173v-175v, 177r, 179v, 182r-182v): lower layer is original gospel text from 12th cent., upper layer is dated from 14th cent. One of scribes: Priest Dobromir.

Q (199/210 õ 145/154). 196 leaves. The beggining is lost, several leaves are missing from the middle part of the codex.
Parchment (fols. 1-183), paper (fols. 184-196). Ink, cinnabar, green colour.

It is written in a uncial script by several hands. There are head-pieces in the New Byzantine style (?) in ink (fols. 27r, 29r, 121r, 121v, 122r, 122v). Initials of the same style had been originally written in ink; cinnabar and green colour were added, very likely, at a later date. Folio 121 bears a note of one of the scribes, who wrote the manuscript, where he left his name.

The Dobromir Gospel is the earliest Middle Bulgarian memorial, that marks the change from Old Bulgarian to the Middle Bulgarian language and spellings. Judging by linguistic traits, the manuscript derived from the South West end of the area, where Bulgarian language is used, in other words, from Macedonia. The Dobromir Gospel has inscriptions stating that it was held in Sinai for a long time (at least, since the 16th century). In 1873 Archimandrite Antonyn Kapustin saw this codex among numerous manuscript books at the library of the Monastery of St Catherine during his trip along the Sinai Peninsula. In 1896 or 1897 the manuscript had found its way to Vienna, to the noted Slavonic scholar Vatroslav Jagic, from whom it was acquired by the Imperial Public Library. Today two fragments from the Dobromir Gospel are preserved in repositories other than the National Library of Russia: 1) 23 leaves are held at the Monastery of St Catherine in the Sinai Peninsula (¹ 43); 2 leaves are kept in the National Library of France in Paris (Slav. 65, fols. 3-4).

In 1899 the manuscript came into the Imperial Public Library from Vatroslav Jagic.

Shelfmark: ÐÍÁ. Q.ï.I.55.


	Main page South Slavonic Manuscript Gospels from the 11th - 16th centt. Descriptions of the manuscripts
Dobromir Gospel. Tetraevangelion. 12th cent. (fols. 1-151v, 153r-175v, 177r-182v), Middle Bulgarian version; 14th cent. (fols. 40v-41r, 152r, 175v-176v, 182v, 184r-196v), Serbian version. Palimpsest (fols. 40v, 41r, 101r, 142v, 161v-162, 169v-170r, 173v-175v, 177r, 179v, 182r-182v): lower layer is original gospel text from 12th cent., upper layer is dated from 14th cent. One of scribes: Priest Dobromir. Q (199/210 õ 145/154). 196 leaves. The beggining is lost, several leaves are missing from the middle part of the codex. Parchment (fols. 1-183), paper (fols. 184-196). Ink, cinnabar, green colour. It is written in a uncial script by several hands. There are head-pieces in the New Byzantine style (?) in ink (fols. 27r, 29r, 121r, 121v, 122r, 122v). Initials of the same style had been originally written in ink; cinnabar and green colour were added, very likely, at a later date. Folio 121 bears a note of one of the scribes, who wrote the manuscript, where he left his name. The Dobromir Gospel is the earliest Middle Bulgarian memorial, that marks the change from Old Bulgarian to the Middle Bulgarian language and spellings. Judging by linguistic traits, the manuscript derived from the South West end of the area, where Bulgarian language is used, in other words, from Macedonia. The Dobromir Gospel has inscriptions stating that it was held in Sinai for a long time (at least, since the 16th century). In 1873 Archimandrite Antonyn Kapustin saw this codex among numerous manuscript books at the library of the Monastery of St Catherine during his trip along the Sinai Peninsula. In 1896 or 1897 the manuscript had found its way to Vienna, to the noted Slavonic scholar Vatroslav Jagic, from whom it was acquired by the Imperial Public Library. Today two fragments from the Dobromir Gospel are preserved in repositories other than the National Library of Russia: 1) 23 leaves are held at the Monastery of St Catherine in the Sinai Peninsula (¹ 43); 2 leaves are kept in the National Library of France in Paris (Slav. 65, fols. 3-4). In 1899 the manuscript came into the Imperial Public Library from Vatroslav Jagic. Shelfmark: ÐÍÁ. Q.ï.I.55. back to top