Ilarion of Tǎrnovo and the renaissance in Bulgaria during the first decades of the 19th century
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Abstract
One of the main characteristics of the Bulgarian renaissance was the attempt to create a national Church. In order to justify this, a host of accusations were fabricated against the clergy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Not even Ilarion, Metropolitan of Tamovo was exempt from these accusations. However, slandering Ilarion was no easy matter. There is a great body of historical information and evidence which has obliged conscientious Bulgarian historians to recognize Ilarion as one of the prime movers of the Bulgarian renaissance. This evidence is, briefly, as follows: the most important pioneer of the renaissance, Aprilov, knowing of the favourable disposition of the metropolitan towards the Bulgarian enlightenment, entrusted to him the choice of a suitable person to direct the first Bulgarian school at Gabrovo. Ilarion chose the highly capable monk Neophytos of Rila. He personally interested himself in the organization of the school, whose operation he followed closely. He directed Neophytos to draw up teaching manuals in Bulgarian as well as a Bulgarian grammar. He also assigned to him the translation of the New Testament into Bulgarian, and
went on to provide financial support for the work. Both Aprilov and Neophytos expressed themselves eulogistically concerning the metropolitan. He also provided for the construction and operation of a Bulgarian school in Tärnovo, as well as a Bulgarian church, in which services were enacted in Old Church Slavonic. He himself donated two icons to this church. He supported Pavel Vaskinovic while the latter translated the New Testament, and bought Bulgarian teaching manuals from Christakis Pavlovič in order to distribute them to poor Bulgarian children. He chose as his colleagues Bulgarian clerics, who lived with him in the metropolitanate building and directed from it the work of the enlightenment of the Bulgarians. This evidence is unshakeable and indisputable; and since on the basis of it Ilarion appears as a true Christian shepherd, who cared for the spiritual enlightenment of his flock without taking into consideration national or racial distinctions, the attempt by certain historians to
present Ilarion’s interest as hypocritical is destroyed. It is shown up as being without foundation and in bad faith by the publication, by V.Sphyroeras, of two letters of Ilarion to the Patriarch and the Synod. In these letters Ilarion placed the work of the enlightenment of the people on a wider foundation. He believed that the Eastern Orthodox Church always cared for the cultural advance of the people, and on that account permitted the translation of the Scriptures into their language, in contrast to the Western Church which forbade translations. Ilarion
himself translated the New Testament into modern Greek. This shows that he was by conviction in favour of the spiritual enlightenment of Christians, beyond all national or racial discrimination. The epitaph on the marble slab which covers the tomb of the metropolitan in Tamovo, written in Greek and Old Church Slavonic, best expresses the views and feelings of the Bulgarians of the time. There it says that it is in vain that the stone covers the metropolitan’s corpse,
for his soul is among the choirs of the just.
went on to provide financial support for the work. Both Aprilov and Neophytos expressed themselves eulogistically concerning the metropolitan. He also provided for the construction and operation of a Bulgarian school in Tärnovo, as well as a Bulgarian church, in which services were enacted in Old Church Slavonic. He himself donated two icons to this church. He supported Pavel Vaskinovic while the latter translated the New Testament, and bought Bulgarian teaching manuals from Christakis Pavlovič in order to distribute them to poor Bulgarian children. He chose as his colleagues Bulgarian clerics, who lived with him in the metropolitanate building and directed from it the work of the enlightenment of the Bulgarians. This evidence is unshakeable and indisputable; and since on the basis of it Ilarion appears as a true Christian shepherd, who cared for the spiritual enlightenment of his flock without taking into consideration national or racial distinctions, the attempt by certain historians to
present Ilarion’s interest as hypocritical is destroyed. It is shown up as being without foundation and in bad faith by the publication, by V.Sphyroeras, of two letters of Ilarion to the Patriarch and the Synod. In these letters Ilarion placed the work of the enlightenment of the people on a wider foundation. He believed that the Eastern Orthodox Church always cared for the cultural advance of the people, and on that account permitted the translation of the Scriptures into their language, in contrast to the Western Church which forbade translations. Ilarion
himself translated the New Testament into modern Greek. This shows that he was by conviction in favour of the spiritual enlightenment of Christians, beyond all national or racial discrimination. The epitaph on the marble slab which covers the tomb of the metropolitan in Tamovo, written in Greek and Old Church Slavonic, best expresses the views and feelings of the Bulgarians of the time. There it says that it is in vain that the stone covers the metropolitan’s corpse,
for his soul is among the choirs of the just.
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