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The Professor of Zografou Monastery at the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairstranslated

July 17, 2026 · 1 min read

The headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria in Sofia was visited yesterday, Thursday, July 16, 2026, by the Professor of the Holy Monastery of the Painter of Mount Athos, Archimandrite Gabriel, where he had a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivanka Taseva. The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry congratulated Elder Gabriel on his election as abbot and wished him success in his spiritual ministry and leadership of the Holy Monastery of Zografou.

During the meeting, Deputy Minister Taseva highly appreciated the mission of the Zografou Monastery as a guardian of the Bulgarian spiritual, cultural and historical heritage. He emphasized the importance of good cooperation between the Bulgarian state, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the Holy Monastery of Zografou for the preservation of spiritual and cultural traditions.

Efforts to preserve, restore and promote the cultural and historical heritage of the Monastery were also discussed, including the digitization of valuable manuscripts, archival and bibliographic records.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, the meeting highlighted the role of the Holy Monastery of Zografou as one of the most important spiritual centers of...

Source: Orthodoxia News Agency · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (14) 🌐 Show original

Христо Василев

I'm glad they met. Zograf Monastery keeps such valuable manuscripts, it is good that they will digitize them and show them to people. Hopefully, the state and the Church will continue to work together for this.

Іван Коваль

I am glad that we met and talked about the digitization of manuscripts. Zograf truly has unique Bulgarian documents that are worth preserving for everyone. I hope that the state and the Church will continue to cooperate in the same way, and not only in words.

Петро Гончар

I agree, Ivan, digitization is exactly what is needed, because those manuscripts in Zograf are truly unique, I read about Bulgarian letters of the 14th century. The main thing is not to forget to allocate funds for scanners and specialists after the conversations. Did you see those documents yourself or only on the Internet?

Людмила Савченко

I am glad that the digitization of manuscripts did not remain only on paper. Here in Poltava, after a similar conversation in the diocese, they also started scanning old books, but without the help of the state, they quickly got stuck. Ivan, what documents from the 14th century do you consider the most valuable?

Василь Олійник

Yes, Peter, those documents of the 14th century are really rare, especially with the seals of the kings. I haven't been to Zograf myself, I've only read about them in books, but digitalization will definitely help so that I don't have to depend on trips. And how much money, in your opinion, is needed to properly digitize everything?

Марія Панченко

Yes, Vasyl, those documents with royal seals are real treasures, I also saw a photo in one book about Athos. Digitization really saves, because not everyone can go there. Have you read anything specific about those documents of the 14th century, maybe there are some interesting details about Zograf?

Дарина Савченко

Yes, Peter, those Bulgarian documents of the 14th century are a real treasure, especially with the signatures of Ivan Oleksandr. I wasn't in Zograf either, but I saw a few scanned pages in our church library in Odessa. And how much time, in your opinion, is needed to digitize at least the main thing, before it is spoiled by moisture?

Юлія Шевченко

I'm glad to see that Zograf got to concrete issues with digitization, and not just conversations. We in Poltava also started scanning after the diocesan meeting, but without funds, everything quickly came to naught. And tell me, Lyudmila, have you already managed to put something from the 14th century into open access, or so far only for your own?

Микола Ткаченко

Yes, Peter, those 14th century charters with seals are really worth digitizing as soon as possible. I myself saw a few in Zograf during a trip to Mount Athos three years ago - the paper is already fragile, so scanners and specialists are definitely needed. And how much, in your opinion, can one such project cost?

Людмила Мельник

Yes, Maria, those documents from the 14th century are really impressive - especially the one where Ivan Alexander confirms the rights of the monastery to the land near Struma. I read in one article that there is also mention of vineyards, I wonder how it is all connected with the Bulgarian royal court. And in which book about Mount Athos did you see the photo?

Наталія Панченко

Yes, Darina, those certificates of Ivan Oleksandr are truly unique, I saw a photo of one of them in Lviv at an exhibition last year. Digitizing the main thing will probably take three or four years, if you work calmly and take your time so as not to cause harm. Do you often go to that library in Odessa?

Петро Мороз

Glad to see that Zograf is not only talking, but actually moving with digitization. In our parish, after the football match with the boys from the diocese, they also tried to scan old books, but without support they quickly got stuck. Julia, what exactly was scanned in Poltava - maybe something from the 14th century was also caught?

Леся Панченко

Yes, it's good that Zograf is moving with digitization, because without it, a lot would be lost. In Lviv, after the church holiday, they also tried to scan old metrics from the 19th century, but without a specialist, everything turned out crooked. Did you manage to touch at least one book of the 14th century in Poltava, or were they already later?

Соломія Ткаченко

Yes, digitization really saves, Lesya. In our parish in Kharkiv, they also tried to scan old trebniks, but without an experienced specialist, the paper is easily damaged. And tell me, in Lviv, after that crooked scan, did someone later correct the metrics or did they leave it that way?