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Extracted photographic fragment of the ossuary apse; not the whole building.
Ossuary

Bachkovo Monastery · Byzantine rule

Gregory writes a rulebook

What rules does Gregory leave for the monks?

9 scenes · 3 min · Sources · 9

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Gregory Pakourianos founds a monastery and donates estates inherited from his brother Apasios. His rulebook governs life together. The ossuary and later murals help us distinguish different kinds of evidence.

The ossuary: two levels. Modern photograph.

Part 1 · Byzantine rule

Gregory writes the rules

In 1083, the Byzantine commander Gregory Pakourianos founded a monastery in the Rhodope Mountains. His brother Apasios had already died. Gregory also donated estates he had inherited from Apasios to the monastery.

In the rule, Gregory calls himself Georgian. The monastery was intended for a Georgian community. Gregory wrote a typikon. This is a written rulebook for life together.

Listen to scene · 1

Synthetic voice · 0:24
Sources · 2
  1. Gregory Pakourianos; Robert Jordan (translator); John Thomas and Angela Constantinides Hero (editors) 23. Pakourianos: Typikon of Gregory Pakourianos for the Monastery of the Mother of God Petritzonitissa in Bačkovo PDF Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents; Dumbarton Oaks Studies 35; Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection · 2000 · 2 · 507–563
  2. Bachkovo Monastery История на Бачковския манастир Official monastery website
Geographic context, without historical bordersGeographic context, without historical borders1
Geographic context, without historical borders

Part 2 · Byzantine rule

The monastery near Plovdiv

The site lies near present-day Asenovgrad, south of Plovdiv. In the rule, the monastery is called Petritzonitissa. The name comes from a nearby fortress. In 1083, this district belonged to the Byzantine Empire.

Listen to scene · 2

Synthetic voice · 0:14
Sources · 2
  1. Gregory Pakourianos; Robert Jordan (translator); John Thomas and Angela Constantinides Hero (editors) 23. Pakourianos: Typikon of Gregory Pakourianos for the Monastery of the Mother of God Petritzonitissa in Bačkovo PDF Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents; Dumbarton Oaks Studies 35; Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection · 2000 · 2 · 507–563
  2. Wikimedia contributors Bachkovo Monastery Wikimedia geographic records
Side wall of the ossuary. Modern photograph.

Part 3 · Byzantine rule

The same bread, different allowances

Gregory prescribed fifty monks, plus a superior: the person leading the community. All were to eat together. Nobody, even the superior, should receive better bread or wine. Necessary assistance was allowed for the sick and very old.

This did not mean equality in everything. Money for clothing and shoes differed according to rank within the community. These are written rules, not proof that everyone always followed them.

Listen to scene · 3

Synthetic voice · 0:25
Sources · 1
  1. Gregory Pakourianos; Robert Jordan (translator); John Thomas and Angela Constantinides Hero (editors) 23. Pakourianos: Typikon of Gregory Pakourianos for the Monastery of the Mother of God Petritzonitissa in Bačkovo PDF Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents; Dumbarton Oaks Studies 35; Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection · 2000 · 2 · 507–563
The ossuary: two levels. Modern photograph.

Part 4 · Byzantine rule

Bones below, chapel above

The ossuary is a building for deceased monks’ bones. These were gathered in the lower crypt, a burial space. Above it was a chapel: a small church for funeral services. Below is a painted biblical scene: Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones. One interpretation connects the painted bones with Christian hope of resurrection. Resurrection means the dead returning to life. We do not know for certain when the ossuary was built.

1 · The small church above
The upper floor is a small church for funeral services. The doorway is visible in the photograph; the function comes from the research.
2 · The room for bones
The lower floor held deceased monks’ bones. The photograph shows part of the entrance, not the interior or Ezekiel fresco.
3 · A roof from another time
According to the monastery website, the roof and ceiling were restored in 2001. Not everything on an old building is medieval.

Listen to scene · 4

Synthetic voice · 0:26
Sources · 4
  1. Jakov Đorđević The Ossuary of the Bachkovo Monastery Mapping Eastern Europe, eds. M. A. Rossi and A. I. Sullivan
  2. Jakov Đorđević Experiencing Resurrection: Persuasive Narrative of the Pictorial Program in the Ossuary of the Bachkovo Monastery Scandinavian Journal of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies · 2017 · 3 · 95–124
  3. Bachkovo Monastery Манастирска костница Official monastery website
  4. Gregory Pakourianos; Robert Jordan (translator); John Thomas and Angela Constantinides Hero (editors) 23. Pakourianos: Typikon of Gregory Pakourianos for the Monastery of the Mother of God Petritzonitissa in Bačkovo PDF Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents; Dumbarton Oaks Studies 35; Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection · 2000 · 2 · 507–563

Part 5 · Byzantine rule

Activity: what a rule proves

What do we learn from the rule about the common table?

  1. The order Gregory wanted.
  2. That nobody ever broke it.
  3. The distribution of money for clothing.
Why is that?

The rule prescribes shared food. This is evidence of the founder’s intention.

Correct · The order Gregory wanted.

  1. Gregory Pakourianos; Robert Jordan (translator); John Thomas and Angela Constantinides Hero (editors) 23. Pakourianos: Typikon of Gregory Pakourianos for the Monastery of the Mother of God Petritzonitissa in Bačkovo PDF Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents; Dumbarton Oaks Studies 35; Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection · 2000 · 2 · 507–563

Listen to scene · 5

Synthetic voice · 0:03
Sources · 1
  1. Gregory Pakourianos; Robert Jordan (translator); John Thomas and Angela Constantinides Hero (editors) 23. Pakourianos: Typikon of Gregory Pakourianos for the Monastery of the Mother of God Petritzonitissa in Bačkovo PDF Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents; Dumbarton Oaks Studies 35; Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection · 2000 · 2 · 507–563
A panorama mural with buildings, a procession and sacred figures above them.
The main church with a dome and a covered entrance with columns.

Part 6 · Byzantine rule

The monastery on the wall

The panorama mural covers the wall of the refectory, the communal dining hall. It dates from the mid-nineteenth century. The painter also used an earlier engraving, a printed image. Buildings, a procession and sacred figures appear together. The panorama can be read as a story about the monastery’s past. It does not show the monastery in 1083.

The main church in the separate photograph was built in 1604. Its narthex, the entrance room, has murals from 1643. Images and buildings have different ages.

1 · A painted monastery
Buildings in a panorama mural from the mid-nineteenth century. This is not a direct view of the monastery in 1083.
2 · The procession
A procession of figures appears at lower left. The panorama combines people, buildings and sacred images; it is an artistic narrative.
3 · Images above the buildings
Sacred figures are placed above the architecture. This is a painter’s composition, not a scale architectural plan.

Listen to scene · 6

Synthetic voice · 0:33
Sources · 3
  1. Gregory Pakourianos; Robert Jordan (translator); John Thomas and Angela Constantinides Hero (editors) 23. Pakourianos: Typikon of Gregory Pakourianos for the Monastery of the Mother of God Petritzonitissa in Bačkovo PDF Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents; Dumbarton Oaks Studies 35; Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection · 2000 · 2 · 507–563
  2. Бачковска света обител Нова реставрация в Бачковския манастир Bulgarian Patriarchate · 2016
  3. Bachkovo Monastery Панорамен стенопис Official monastery website

Part 7 · Byzantine rule

Activity: three different times

Put the events in order, earliest first.

  1. Writing the rule
  2. Building the main church
  3. Painting the narthex murals
Why is that?

The rule predates the new church by centuries. The narthex murals are later than the church’s construction.

Correct order

  1. Writing the rule
  2. Building the main church
  3. Painting the narthex murals
  1. Gregory Pakourianos; Robert Jordan (translator); John Thomas and Angela Constantinides Hero (editors) 23. Pakourianos: Typikon of Gregory Pakourianos for the Monastery of the Mother of God Petritzonitissa in Bačkovo PDF Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents; Dumbarton Oaks Studies 35; Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection · 2000 · 2 · 507–563
  2. Бачковска света обител Нова реставрация в Бачковския манастир Bulgarian Patriarchate · 2016

Listen to scene · 7

Synthetic voice · 0:03
Sources · 2
  1. Gregory Pakourianos; Robert Jordan (translator); John Thomas and Angela Constantinides Hero (editors) 23. Pakourianos: Typikon of Gregory Pakourianos for the Monastery of the Mother of God Petritzonitissa in Bačkovo PDF Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents; Dumbarton Oaks Studies 35; Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection · 2000 · 2 · 507–563
  2. Бачковска света обител Нова реставрация в Бачковския манастир Bulgarian Patriarchate · 2016
The semicircular projecting part of the ossuary, called an apse.

Part 8 · Byzantine rule

Copies preserve the rule

The rule of 1083 reaches us through copies. The signed original has not survived. The rule’s conclusion names three languages: Greek, Georgian and Armenian.

Gregory forbade changing or removing the rules. Copies preserve his text: how to share food and protect common property. It also gives rules for commemoration: remembering the dead in prayer. Stone, painting and document tell different parts of this history.

Listen to scene · 8

Synthetic voice · 0:27
Sources · 2
  1. Gregory Pakourianos; Robert Jordan (translator); John Thomas and Angela Constantinides Hero (editors) 23. Pakourianos: Typikon of Gregory Pakourianos for the Monastery of the Mother of God Petritzonitissa in Bačkovo PDF Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents; Dumbarton Oaks Studies 35; Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection · 2000 · 2 · 507–563
  2. Bachkovo Monastery История на Бачковския манастир Official monastery website

Part 9 · Byzantine rule

Activity: match the evidence

Match each piece of evidence with its description.

  1. Typikon · Written rules for communal life
  2. Ossuary · Bones below, small church above
  3. Panorama mural · Later image of the monastery
Why is that?

The text prescribes rules, the building serves remembrance of the dead, and the panorama depicts the monastery’s later life.

  1. Gregory Pakourianos; Robert Jordan (translator); John Thomas and Angela Constantinides Hero (editors) 23. Pakourianos: Typikon of Gregory Pakourianos for the Monastery of the Mother of God Petritzonitissa in Bačkovo PDF Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents; Dumbarton Oaks Studies 35; Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection · 2000 · 2 · 507–563
  2. Jakov Đorđević The Ossuary of the Bachkovo Monastery Mapping Eastern Europe, eds. M. A. Rossi and A. I. Sullivan
  3. Bachkovo Monastery Панорамен стенопис Official monastery website

Listen to scene · 9

Synthetic voice · 0:03
Sources · 3
  1. Gregory Pakourianos; Robert Jordan (translator); John Thomas and Angela Constantinides Hero (editors) 23. Pakourianos: Typikon of Gregory Pakourianos for the Monastery of the Mother of God Petritzonitissa in Bačkovo PDF Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents; Dumbarton Oaks Studies 35; Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection · 2000 · 2 · 507–563
  2. Jakov Đorđević The Ossuary of the Bachkovo Monastery Mapping Eastern Europe, eds. M. A. Rossi and A. I. Sullivan
  3. Bachkovo Monastery Панорамен стенопис Official monastery website

A new find for your collection

The rule of 1083 is known through copies. Buildings and paintings preserve traces of different centuries.

Peter, Asen and the revolt of 1185 · TarnovoThe church and the beginning of a tsardomSee how Bulgaria changes in a later period.Boyana Church · BoyanaThe faces of BoyanaThe Gospels of Ivan Alexander · LondonThe tsar between the pages

People in this story

ChristGregory PakourianosApasios PakourianosEzekiel

Sources

  1. Wikimedia contributors Bachkovo Monastery Wikimedia geographic records
  2. Jakov Đorđević Experiencing Resurrection: Persuasive Narrative of the Pictorial Program in the Ossuary of the Bachkovo Monastery Scandinavian Journal of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies · 2017 · 3 · 95–124
  3. Bachkovo Monastery История на Бачковския манастир Official monastery website
  4. Bachkovo Monastery Манастирска костница Official monastery website
  5. Jakov Đorđević The Ossuary of the Bachkovo Monastery Mapping Eastern Europe, eds. M. A. Rossi and A. I. Sullivan
  6. Bachkovo Monastery Панорамен стенопис Official monastery website
  7. Бачковска света обител Нова реставрация в Бачковския манастир Bulgarian Patriarchate · 2016
  8. Gregory Pakourianos; Robert Jordan (translator); John Thomas and Angela Constantinides Hero (editors) 23. Pakourianos: Typikon of Gregory Pakourianos for the Monastery of the Mother of God Petritzonitissa in Bačkovo PDF Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents; Dumbarton Oaks Studies 35; Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection · 2000 · 2 · 507–563
  9. Bulgarian Patriarchate Бачковски манастир „Св. Успение Богородично“ Bulgarian Orthodox Church

Images

Todor Bozhinov · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The semicircular projecting part of the ossuary, called an apse. Modern photograph.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Todor Bozhinov, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Cut-out detail; background removed.

Todor Bozhinov / Тодор Божинов · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The ossuary: two levels. Modern photograph.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Todor Bozhinov / Тодор Божинов, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Processed image.

Todor Bozhinov / Тодор Божинов · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Side wall of the ossuary. Modern photograph.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Todor Bozhinov / Тодор Божинов, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Processed image.

JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Modern photograph of a panorama mural from the mid-nineteenth century.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Processed image.

Kritzolina · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Modern photograph of the main church, built in 1604. Its narthex, the entrance room, has murals from 1643.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Kritzolina, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Unmodified. Processed image.

Todor Bozhinov · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The semicircular projecting part of the ossuary, called an apse. Modern photograph.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Todor Bozhinov, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Processed image.

Geographic context, without historical borders

Tom Patterson · Nathaniel Vaughn Kelso · Public domain · Natural Earth

Open source

Full attribution

Tom Patterson · Nathaniel Vaughn Kelso