Maps of Power

Miroslav's Gospel

Begin 01.01.1180
End 31.12.1187

Properties

ID 132934
System Class Artifact
Artifact Manuscript
Case Study Beyond East and West: Sacred Landscapes Duklja and Raška , Tabula Imperii Byzantini , TIB 17
Stylistic Classification Latin-Byzantine Combination

Description

Miroslav's Gospel is the oldest Serbian Cyrillic manuscript and one of the most important Serbian medieval manuscripts. It was probably made for the liturgical needs of the Church of St. Peter in Bijelo Polje (in today's Montenegro) at the end of the 12th century (most likely between 1180 and 1187). The manuscript is named after its ktetor, Prince Miroslav of Hum (the brother of Stefan Nemanja), who is also the founder of the aforementioned Church of St. Peter. The content of the codex is based on the model from Saint Sophia in Constantinople, and the decoration, first of all the three hundred initials, exudes various Western influences - from Carolingian to Romanesque. It is believed that the illuminators came from Italy or Southern Dalmatia. Stylistically different is the miniature with the busts of the Evangelists at the beginning of the manuscript (folio 1v), whose iconographic patterns are seen in the manuscripts of the Christian Orient. It is possible that Miroslav's Gospel was created in some coastal scriptorium, as indicated by certain elements in the language and manner of decoration. It is assumed that it reached the Hilandar Monastery during the formation of its library. The Gospel was kept there until 1896, when the Hilandar brotherhood presented it to the Serbian King Aleksandar I Obrenović (reigned 1889-1903). Today it is kept in the National Museum in Belgrade (inv. no. 1536). Sheet 166 is preserved in the National Library of Russia in Saint Petersburg.

Relations

Places (1)
Name Class Begin End Description
National Museum in Belgrade Place The National Museum of Belgrade is located at the center of Belgrade, Serbia. It was founded in 1844 and over time grew while collecting and developing collections of Serbian and foreign works of art. It was soon expanded with the diverse research work that transformed the Museum from the depot of past into a demonstrating exhibition space. The National Museum of Serbia also includes the Gallery of Frescoes, the Vuk and Dositej Museum and the Nadežda and Rastko Petrović Memorial Museum. In addition to the rich archaeological, numismatic, art collection of Serbian and Yugoslav art, the National Museum of Serbia also has works by world-renowned artists, in overall housing more than 400.000 works of art. Due to its architectural-urbanist and cultural-historical values, the building of the National Museum has been designated as a cultural property of great importance for the Republic of Serbia.
Actors (1)
Name Class Begin End Relation Type Description
National Museum in Belgrade Group None

Files

One of the Sheets in Miroslav's Gospel
One of the Sheets in Miroslav's Gospel