Bulgarian Dobreisho Gospel

This parchment manuscript, of which only a part has survived, is from the first quarter of the 13th century. The year 1221 was written on the manuscript at a significantly later date and may have been copied from an original colophon by a later owner. Known as the Dobreisho Gospel, the manuscript is an important witness to the history and early development of the Bulgarian language. Of particular interest is the rich illumination, including two full-page miniatures of the evangelists Luke and John. The portrait of the latter is accompanied by the figure of the priest Dobreisho, the donor and/or the copyist of the manuscript. The iconography of the miniatures reveals many unusual features, not yet fully explicated. The other part of the manuscript formerly was kept in the national library in Belgrade, but it was completely destroyed in 1941 by fire caused by the German bombing of the city. (World Digital Library)