From Barbarians to Christians and Rhomaioi. The Process of Byzantinization in the Central Balkans (late 10th – mid-13th century)

Sources

ID	Name	Class	Description
134158	Dedicatory inscription above the southern doors of the Church of St. Nicholas in Prilep	Source	The dedicatory inscription provides the names of the donors - Vego Kapza and his wife Maria, personages not mentioned in other sources. The paintings were completed on November 17, 1298.
134361	Demetrii Chomateni Ponemata. Ohrid Corpus of Acts of Archbishop Demetrios Chomatenos of Ohrid (1217–1236)	Source	Demetrius Chomatianus, well-known as an outstanding Byzantine canonist, was Archbishop of Ohrid (approx. 1216–1236). The Corpus of the Ponemata diaphora is his major work. It consists of personal and official letters, expert testimonies and verdicts, and proceedings of the Ohrid Synodal Court.
134244	George Pachymeres. Paraphrase of Pachymeres’ History (late 14th or early 15th century)	Source	George Pachymeres made a reference to the monastery of Prisklabetza in Prilep (ἡ ἐν τῷ Πριλάπῳ μονὴ ἡ Πρισκλάβητζα as a monastery founded or renovated by Michael Glabas Tarchaneiotes, one of the most prominent Byzantine military commanders during the reign of the early Palaiologan emperors.
133695	Inscription above the main entrance into the naos of the Church of St. Panteleimon at Nerezi	Source	Inscription has been preserved on the marble architrave above the main entrance into the naos of Nerezi. It reads: Ἐϰαλλιεϱγήθη ὁ ναὸς του ἁγίου ϰαὶ ἐνδόξου μεγαλομάϱτυϱος Παντελεήμονος ἐϰ συνδϱομῆς ϰυϱοῦ ’Αλεξίου τοῦ Κομνηνοῦ καὶ υἱοῦ τής πορφυρογεννήτης κυϱᾶς Θεοδώρας μηνί Σεπτεμβρίῳ ἰνδιϰτιῶνος ῖγ ἔτους ΣΧΟΓ ἡγουμενεύοντος Ἰωαννιϰίου μονάχοῦ. The church of the holy and renowned great-martyr Panteleimon was embellished with the contribution of Lord Alexios Komnenos, son of the purple-born Theodora, in the month of September; indiction 13, 1164, Ioannikios the monk being hegoumenos. The inscription informs us that the church was dedicated to St. Panteleimon and decorated at the expense of Alexios Angelos Komnenos, in September of the thirteenth indiction of the year 6673 (1164), when the hegoumenos was the monk Ioannnikios.
134304	Inscription on the stone in the Church of Saint Constantine in Svećani	Source	Inside the interior of the oldest church of Saint Constantine in Svećani, a shapeless stone was found, on which a short inscription is carved with Glagolitic and Cyrillic letters using a sharp object. These enigmatic signs ('JAZEL') were engraved by either the church builder or a visitor. This inscription on the stone likely holds a magical significance and is related to the construction of the church itself; it could have been part of a foundation stone (perhaps a corner stone) with the meaning of protection against evil. Dating: early 10th century. The simultaneous use of Glagolitic and Cyrillic letters in writing persisted until the beginning of the 10th century.
134780	Prilep, Mariovo, Manastir, the Church of Saint Nicholas	Source	The founder's inscription in the nave is preserved on the south and north walls. It is written between the first and second zones of the painting, in one line, in black letters on a white background, in the form of a strip framed by a red border. It is badly damaged and illegible in several places. The beginning is located on the west side of the corner pilaster on the south side of the altar apse, and the inscription then runs along the south wall and continues on the north wall. Text of the first inscription: ἐν ἔτειa ς χ γ ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλ(εί)ας τοῦ εὐσεβεστάτ(ου) βασιλέως καὶ αὐτοκράτωρ[ος] ̔Ρωμαίων κυρ(οῦ) Ἀλεξίου τοῦ Κομν[ηνοῦ]. Διελθὼνb ἐν τόδεc τόπ(ον) ὁ περιπώθητο(ς) θεῖο(ς) τῆς βασ(ι)λ(εί)ας αὐτ(ῆς), κυρ(ὸ)ς Ἀλέξιος ὁ πρωτ(ο)στράτ(ω)ρ καὶ ἀρεστ(ὸς)d τὸν τόπον ἀνήγυρενe ναὸν ἐκ βάθρων τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις π(ατ)ρὸς ἡμῶν ἀρχ(ι)εράρχου καὶ θαυματουργ(οῦ) Νικολ(άου) ... καὶ τιμήσεως αὐτῶ διὰ χρυσοβού[λλου] κτήμ(ατα) οἶκα προκυρῶσ(ε) καθ(ῶς)f τὸ βρέβαιων παραδηλῶσειν.g Ὁ ναὸς γὰρ ἦν σμικρώτ(α)τ(ος),h σαθ(ρὸς),i ῥακοθ(εὶ)ς δὲ καὶ διατετρω[μένος] ἀρ(ρ)αγῆςj καὶ μὶ φ(έ)ρων ὁρᾶν τὴν τοῦ ναοῦ σβέσιν ὁ πανοσιώτ(ατος) καθηγ[ού]μ(ενος) τῆς μονῆς ὁ κυρ(ὸ)ς Ἰωαν(ν)ίκιο(ς), ὁ καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἁγίουk σχίματο(ς) ἐπωνο[μασθεὶς] Ἀκάκιος καὶl χωρέ[σας] ὑπ(ὲρ) χρη(μά)των ἀν(α) χωρ(εῖ)m τοῦτον θεῖαν εὐσ(εβ)ῆςn ἐπιχωρῖνo καὶ ἐν ὑπηρεσί[α] ἄγειν ὁ καὶ πρ[ο]καλ[έ]σα[ς]p τοὺς ἐν Χρ(ιστ)ῶ ἀδε[λφοὺς] αὐτοῦ ... ἅμα καὶ εὐθ[ὺς] χαλάσ[ας] τὴνq ἐκ(κ)λη σίανr ἀνήγυρενs ἐκ βάθρ(ων) τὸν πάνσεπτον ναὸν τοῦ[τον] καὶ οραΐσ(ας) καὶ καλεῖ ἐν αὐ[τοῖς] τὸν ἐν χρωματουργίμασιν πικυλοτρόπ(οις) καὶt ἐν βαθεῖ γνόμ(ονας) χεῖρ(ας) ταπινότ(α)τ(ος) Ἰω(άννης) διάκον(ος)u καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κρίσεωνv τ[ῆς] ἁγιωτ(ά)τ(ης) ἀρχ(ι)επισκοπῆς, καὶ ... [ἐν ἔτει ἐξακισχιλιοστὸ] καὶ ἑπτακοσιοστό τε ο δ, ἰν(δικτιῶνο)ς θ, ἀνιστορίθι δὲ ἐν ἔτι ς ψ ο θ, ἰν(δικτιῶνο)ς ιδ, [ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλ]είας τοῦ εὐσεβεστάτου μεγ(ά)λ(ου) βασλέως καὶ αὐτοκράτωρος ̔Ρωμαίων Δοῦκα Ἀγγέλου Κομνηνοῦ Μιχαήλ τοῦ Παλαιολόγ(ου) καὶ Νέου Κωνσταντίνου Translation of the first inscription: In 6603, during the reign of the venerable emperor and autocrat Roman master (kyr) Alexios Komnenos, passing through this region, the amiable uncle of the empire, kyr Alexios the Protostrator, loved this place and built a temple from the ground up among the saints of our father archbishop and miracle worker Nicholas ... and, as befits, he confirmed with a chrysanthemum of possession, as it stands in the crowd. Since the temple was small, neglected, damaged and dilapidated, persevering and not being able to bear the decay of the temple, the most holy abbot of the monastery kyr Joanikije, called Akakije in the holy shima, assumed devotion to money and with the help of his fellow believers in Christ ... immediately after the demolition of the church from then he raised this most holy temple and invited it to be decorated with various colors by the skillful hand of humble John, deacon and ἐπὶ τῶν κρίσεων of the most holy Archbishopric, and... , [year six thousand and]5 seven hundred 74, indicta 9, and paintings of the year 6779, indicta 14, for the governments of the venerable great emperor and autocrat Roman Doukas Angelos Komnenos Michael Palaiologos and New Constantine.
134781	Prilep, Mariovo, Manastir, the Church of Saint Nicholas	Source	The long inscription in the fresco technique was written in Greek letters in the form of a thin strip and ran below the row of martyr busts, on the south and north walls of the central nave. text of the second inscription: δέησις τοῦ δού]λου τοῦ θ(ε)οῦ Ἀκακίου ἱερο(μον)άχ(ου) κ(αὶ) καθηγουμ(έ)νου [...]ορεντος. κ(αὶ) δευτέρου κτήτωρ[ος] translation of the second inscription: Prayer of the servant of God Akakije, hieromonk and abbot ... and another founder.
134782	Prilep, Mariovo, Manastir, the Church of Saint Nicholas	Source	On the southern facade of the church, in at least eighteen lines visible today, a text was written which, exposed to the weather for a long time, was almost completely washed away to the point of illegibility. text of the third inscription: The text is badly damaged and some words can be read as well as the last two lines with the founder's name. ΑΝΔΡΟΝΙΚΟС εΝ Χ(ΡΙСΤ) ω Τ ω Θ( ε)ω ΠΙСΤΟС ΒΑС[ΙΛ εΥС] ... ΚΟΜΝΗΝΟС Ο ΠΑΛΑΙ[Ο]ΛΟ[ΓΟС].
134773	Prilep, the Church of Saint Demetrius	Source	The first inscription is located in the southern nave, on the western part of the northern wall, it is displayed in three rows, in white on a blue background, above the portrait of Dimitrios Misinopolit. who addresses the patron saint of the church in prayer. Text of the first inscription: δέ(ησις) τοῦ δού[λου] τοῦ θ(εο)ῦ Δημητρίουa τοῦ Μησηνοπολήτου καὶ κτήτορ(ος)c τοῦ ναοῦ Translation of the first inscription: Petition of the servant of God Dimitrios of Misinopolit and the founder of the church.
134774	Prilep, the Church of Saint Demetrius	Source	The second inscription is on the western side of the altar column, it is written above the representation of the prophet Elijah, in one line, in red on a brown background. Text of the second inscription: [δέησις]a τοῦ δούλου τοῦ θ(εο)ῦ b [Ἀνδρο]νίκου καὶ Ἠρή[νη]ς a [Μνήσθητι Κύρι]ε Translation of the second inscription: Plea of the servant of God Andronikos and Irina.
134308	Third Charter (Treskavac 3) of Serbian King Dušan (1331-1355) to the Treskavac Monastery (1343-1345).	Source	In the boundary description of the marketplace of the Lower Town of Prilep, King Stefan Uroš IV Dušan mentioned the site Urvište with the ruins of the Church of Saint Barbara.
745	Treskavac 1	Source	After the conquest of the town of Prilep and its surrounding area, King Stefan Uroš IV Dušan (reigned 1331-1355) issued a Slavonic charter in 1334/35 for the Monastery of Treskavec to the North of Prilep. He donated villages, settlements, abandoned lands, summer and winter pastures, watermills, metochia and churches as well as a fair in the town of Prilep to the monastery. Božidar Ferjančić argued that the second charter (Treskavac 2) for the Monastery of Treskavec is a forgery, while the first and third (Treskavac 1 and 3) are authentic. Djordje Bubalo advanced the opinion that the second charter (Treskavac 2) is an unofficial document based on the first and the third charter (Treskavac 1 and 3).