Codex Suprasliensis

Last updated
Codex Suprasliensis
Codex Suprasliensis.jpg
A leaf of the codex
Created10th century in Bulgaria
Discovered1823
Supraśl Orthodox Monastery
Place Supraśl, Poland
Present location National and University Library of Slovenia
Language Old Church Slavonic

The Codex Suprasliensis is a 10th-century Cyrillic literary monument, the largest extant Old Church Slavonic canon manuscript and the oldest Slavic literary work located in Poland. As of September 20, 2007, it is on UNESCO's Memory of the World list.

Contents

The codex, written in Medieval Bulgaria [1] at the end or even in the middle of the 10th century, contains a menaion for the month of March, intersecting with the movable cycle of Easter. It also contains 24 lives of saints, 23 homilies and one prayer, most of which were written by or are attributed to John Chrysostom. The 284-folio (or 285-folio, according to some sources) codex was "discovered" in 1823 by Canon Michał Bobrowski in the Uniate Basilian monastery in Supraśl.

In 1838, Bobrowski sent the last part of the manuscript in two pieces to Slovene philologist Jernej Kopitar so that he could transcribe it. After Kopitar returned it, Bobrowski sent him the first part (118 folios), however for unknown reasons it was never returned to Bobrowski and was found in 1845 among the documents of the deceased Kopitar. It was later kept by the Ljubljana Lyceum and now by the National and University Library of Slovenia in Ljubljana.

The largest part was bought for the private library of the Zamoyski family in Warsaw. This part of the codex disappeared during World War II, but later resurfaced in the United States and was returned by Herbert Moeller to Poland in 1968, where it has been held by the National Library of Poland in Warsaw until the present day. The third part, consisting of 16 folios, is held by the Russian National Library in Saint Petersburg.

The codex was published by Franz Miklosich (Vienna, 1851), Sergej Severjanov (Suprasalьskaja rukopisь, Saint Petersburg, 1904), and Jordan Zaimov and Mario Capaldo (Sophia, 1982–1983). Alfons Margulies produced a significant volume on the codex titled Der altkirchenslavische Codex Suprasliensis (Heidelberg, 1927).

Folio 260 of the manuscript contains the note g(ospod)i pomilui retъka amin. Some experts think retъka represents the name of a scribe (hence the occasional name Codex of Retko) and that the text was copied from several sources. Research indicates that at least one of the sources may have Glagolitic (for Epiphanius' Homily on the Entombment). Vocalizations of yers, rarely occurring epenthesis, change of ъ to ь behind hardened č, ž, š and some other linguistic traits point to its (Eastern) Bulgarian linguistic provenance.

From May 2024, the part held by National Library of Poland is presented at the permanent exhibition in the Palace of the Commonwealth in Warsaw. [2] [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyniec Sacramentarium</span>

The Tyniec Sacramentary is an Ottonian illuminated manuscript written in ca. 1072–75, probably near Cologne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Library of Poland</span> Central Polish library

The National Library is the central Polish library, subject directly to the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Annals of the Holy Cross</span> Oldest Polish written history

Old Annals of the Holy Cross is the oldest Polish written history, recording key events from the very beginnings of the Polish state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skawinka′s Gradual</span> Polish gradual from around 1460

Skawinka′s Gradual is a richly illuminated gradual from around 1460.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gradual of Abbot Mścisław</span> Polish gradual from around 1390

Gradual of Abbot Mścisław is an illuminated gradual from around 1390.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antiphonary of Abbot Mścisław</span> Polish antiphonary from the late 14th or early 15th century

Antiphonary of Abbot Mścisław is an illuminated antiphonary from the late 14th or early 15th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gradual of the Cracow Augustinians</span> Illuminated gradual from 1528

Gradual of the Cracow Augustinians is an illuminated gradual from 1528.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anastasia Evangelistary</span>

Anastasia Evangelistary is an evangelistary from 12th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Przemyśl Meditation</span> 15th-century collection of apocryphal texts

Przemyśl Meditation is a collection of apocryphal texts in Polish from the end of the 15th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skevra Evangeliary</span> Armenian evangeliary from the 12th century

Skevra Evangeliary is an illuminated Armenian evangeliary from 12th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calendarium Parisiense</span> Illuminated manuscript

Calendarium Parisiense is an illuminated manuscript from the 14th century, containing a calendar.

<i>Bishop Tomicki′s Missal</i> Liturgical book from 1532

Bishop Tomicki′s Missal is a printed missal from 1532.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evangelistarium (Rps 3311 I)</span> 11th-century illuminated manuscript

Evangelistarium is the oldest hand-written lectionary in Polish libraries from 11th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Revelationes (Rps 3310 II)</span> 14th-century manuscript

Revelationes is a manuscript of Revelationes by Bridget of Sweden from 14th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portolan of Antonio Millo (1583)</span> Nautical chart

Portolan of Antonio Millo is a portolan chart by Antonio Millo from 1583.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Album of Turkish costumes</span> Collection of 17th-century images

Album of Turkish costumes is a collection of 90 miniatures from 17th century depicting dignitaries and functionaries of the Sultan's court from the reign of Ibrahim I.

<i>The Garden of Knowledge</i> 18th century Indian manuscript

The Garden of Knowledge is an illustrated manuscript of the collection of stories in the Persian about the love between the fictional Mughal Prince Jahandar Shah and his queen Bahrewar Banu, originally written by Inayatullah Kambu in the 17th-century and titled the Bahar-i Danish, that was published in 1784.

<i>In Purest Sorrow</i> 1942 poetry volume by Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński

In Purest Sorrow is a hand-made volume of poetry by Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński from 1942.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antiquities of the Jews (Rps BOZ 1)</span>

Antiquities of the Jews is an illuminated manuscript from 1466 containing Antiquities of the Jews by Flavius Josephus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horae Beatae Mariae Virginis (Rps BOZ 44)</span>

Horae Beatae Mariae Virginis is a thumb-sized miniature prayer book for lay people, written in Latin in the late 15th or early 16th century.

References

  1. (https://iztok-zapad.eu/image/catalog/materials/Suprasylski_sbornik.pdf)
  2. "Palace of the Commonwealth open to visitors". National Library of Poland. 2024-05-28. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  3. Makowski & Sapała 2024, p. 27.

Sources