Митрополит Дионисий І Рали – ктитор на стенописите в галерията на храма „Св. апостоли Петър и Павел“ в Търновград

Автори:
Страници: 395-414
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54664/TUND6822

Резюме:

In the present publication, according to the accumulated information and research from previous years, a mural composition is analyzed, which was located above the central entrance, connecting the gallery with the nave of the metropolitan church “St. Apostles Peter and Paul” in Veliko Tarnovo. It depicts a metropolitan, who is festively dressed, presenting a model of a renovated temple in front of the Mother of God with the Christ Child and in the presence of the supreme apostles St. Peter and St. Paul. There are various scholarly theories as to which donor was depicted. Georgi Gerov in one of his articles indicates that this is most likely Dionysius Ι Ralli Palaeologus. Zarko Zhdrakov and Plamen Orfeev have a different opinion, they believe that it is Metropolitan Ignatius Turnovski. The idea is to trace (in an interdisciplinary method) the possibilities and arguments for the activity of this Metropolitan of Tarn and, in the context of historical and ecclesiastical-political events, once again give an opportunity to reveal his name. Unfortunately, the original mural layer (with the inscription and portrait of the founder) did not survive after 1913, due to dampness, it was in a bad state long before the fatal period of the earthquake. Relying on his experience, the researcher Fyodor Uspensky saw, during his visit, only eroded remains of letters and offered a fragmentary reading of the inscription from the composition in question: “[...]KRA... PROS OMOY […] APOST... EPITAGNS KOMNN PALAIO [ΛOΓO] Ϫ Єτ Ҁ(ωʕ)'. After a thorough analysis, I arrived at the idea of Georgi Gerov that this is indeed Metropolitan Dionysius Ι Ralli Palaeologus. He worked on Bulgarian territory from 1580 to 1598, with accumulated experience and self-confidence in the political, spiritual, and scientific circles. In the preserved documents, he is described as a trustee of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and at the same time a protector of the Bulgarian holy places. A photograph in which interesting details of the donation deed are revealed, published in Ouspensky's works from 1901, has been preserved. Thanks to the efforts of an IT specialist at the “Petko R. Slaveykov” National Library, Veliko Tarnovo, in 2023 we made 7 trial variants of scanning the damaged inscription from Ouspensky's book print with different pixelization and meshing. We achieved a scan of 1200 dpi per pixel. Then, from the visualized material, an attempt was made to read up-to-date: „…H Δ҇҇HС ЕHMƯ ΚΑΊ ΠΑΡΘΕΝOΥ ΘΕΟΤΌΚΟΥ … …ΙΚΟΥ[...]ΤΟΣ ΤϪ Τ […] A~ΠΑС Χ[...]ẪС КОМNН ° ПАЛАEОΛ[OΓ] Ϫ … ...ΕΝΑΙ ΤϪ […]Π…Ν...“ In Greek official documents from the 16th century, only one metropolitan is known who added “Παλαιολόγος” to his surname – Διονύσιος Ι Ράλλης. Undoubtedly, the mural portrait of this metropolitan in the Tarnovsky temple corresponds to the trends for official clothing dictated by the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The model of the temple is also interesting because it can be seen that the bars in the windows were made of wrought iron in the shape of double-headed eagles with a Christian cross in the middle. The ornaments themselves on the fronts of the doors also suggest a precise carving. Undoubtedly, the church after the renovation and wall painting looked new, glamorous, and welcoming to the worshipers (1588). In the photograph, it can be seen that the bishop's sakos of Dionysius Raleigh Palaeologus was inscribed with embroidered motifs. The same applies to the omophoria, loincloth, and gauntlets. In addition, I pay special attention to the metropolitan headdress, such is undoubtedly worn by the distinguished representatives of the Patriarchates. But it is essential to note that during the years of his rule, there were changes and international controversies regarding the correctness of astronomical calculations. Mitrophanes III of Constantinople persistently pushed the idea of rapprochement between Rome and Constantinople through the adoption of a new Gregorian calendar. The Patriarch of Constantinople, Jeremiah II, convened a council in 1583, rejecting the innovations in the Latin calendar. The Patriarch of Jerusalem St. Dositeus testified that at another council, in 1593, a general decision was made that "the new calendar invented by the Latins should be anathema." The position of Metropolitan Dionysius Raleigh Paleologus of Tarnovsk was essential in this conflict, he was undoubtedly a confidant of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and for this reason, he was honored to travel in 1591 and personally present a diploma for the recognition of a patriarchal title to the Russian archbishop. In this way, the positions of Orthodoxy were transformed into a great force counteracting the Ottoman Empire and Catholic propaganda. But in earlier periods, remarkably, Pope Gregory ΧIII personally advocated the teaching activities of Dionysius Raleigh in Ostrog (present-day Ukraine). Naturally, in these early years, there was no occasion for opposition. However, his appointment as the metropolitan of Tarnov was entirely under the auspices of Jeremiah II Tranos. In this sense, the strategy of the Metropolitan of Tarnovo since then has followed the policy of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and in all cases, the right to traditional chronology has been

Ключови думи:

Dionysius Raleigh Palaeologus, St. Apostles Peter and Paul, Veliko Tarnovo, inscription, mural painting, 16 Century.

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