Cyrillic Manuscript Heritage Volume 29 June 2011 The Ohio State THE HILANDAR RESEARCH LIBRARY Columbus University THE RESOURCE CENTER FOR MEDIEVAL SLAVIC STUDIES Ohio Historic Visit of Archimandrite Metodije – Father Abbot of Hilandar Monastery On 27 December 2010, Archimandrite manuscripts, and through this work, the Metodije, Father Abbot of Hilandar Mon- potential for preservation and the creation astery on the Holy Mount, Greece, made of wider access to their cultural heritage. a visit to the Hilandar Research Library, Ultimately, the elders’ letter and invitation that “idea and seed” fostered by the mon- led to the establishment of both the Hilan- astery that, in truth, found fruitful soil here dar Research Library and the Resource at The Ohio State University. Remarkably, Center for Medieval Slavic Studies at OSU. the Abbot’s visit came almost forty-one This could not have been accomplished Photo by Helene Senecal years to the day that my father, the V. Rev. without my father’s efforts, as well as the Dr. Mateja Matejic, first set out for Mount vision and support of Leon I. Twarog and Athos and Hilandar Monastery. William J. Studer, among others at Ohio State. It also needed the commitment of Distinguished guests Father Abbot, many Serbian-American and other donors, Fr. Loncˇar and Mr. Randji‹ view as well as the continuing support of the HRL materials University. Abbot Metodije was accompanied by Heirodeacon Arsenije, also of Hilandar INSIDE FEATURES Monastery and Mr. Milivoj Randji‹, CEO Photo by Helene Senecal of the “Foundation of The Holy Monas- tery Hilandar” in Belgrade, Serbia. They Director’s Desk – Page 2 were driven to Columbus through the kind- ness of V. Rev. Milorad Loncarˇ , the Dioc- New Associate Director – Page 3 esan Secretary of the “Serbian Orthodox Diocese of New Gracanicaˇ and Midwest- HRL & RCMSS News Notes – ern America.” Pages 4 and 5 Abbot Metodije, Father Matejic and This was the first trip to the United Predrag Matejic view HRL exhibit States by an Abbot of Hilandar Monas- Expanding Cultural Ties – Page 6 My father began his journey to the tery. Of necessity, the trip was brief, and Holy Mount at the end of 1969. This came the itinerary was limited. We were, thus, A Pilgrim’s Tale: Part II – by in response to a letter and invitation from especially honored that he wished to visit Daria Safronova – Pages 8 and 9 the administrators/elders (epítropes) of us. the monastery and its pro-abbot, Fr. Nika- Among the Abbot’s other purposes Michael W. Curran Collection nor. Now, decades later, he was welcom- while in America was, first of all, bringing Donated to HRL – Page 7 ing the Abbot to Ohio State. It is at our from the Holy Mount a commissioned new Recent Acquisitions – Page 10 University that the hopes of the monas- original icon, a copy of Hilandar Monas- tery elders expressed in their letter were tery’s most famous icon – the Tricherousa Gifts in Kind, Donors – Page 11 realized: microfilming of Hilandar Slavic Continued on page 3 2 Cyrillic Manuscript Heritage June 2011 Director’s Desk Dr. Predrag Matejic The phone call from my father in late This was not what they had expected Several readers complimented the “Ivan December and the news he related came to see. The isolated, self-contained, cozy the Terrible” article in our last issue. I should as a shock. Metodije, Abbot of Hilandar but crowded and tucked-away-in-a-corner note that the dates for the St. Lazar fresco Monastery was Hilandar Research Library that previous re- in the Archangel Cathedral are corrected visiting this coun- searchers and visitors to the HRL may to 1564/1565 in the online version. Also, try and wished to have described to them was not there to for more on Anastasia’s embroidered cur- see the “Hilandar be seen. tain, Isolde Thyret (Kent State University) Room” in Colum- But, they came to understand that the has published a recent study of the Hilan- bus. My father had obvious presence of this Hilandar Research dar katapetasma with her analysis of its just been called by Library was enhanced and improved. This role in Russian-Serbian relations under the V. Rev. Milorad HRL and the culture and scholarship it pre- Ivan: “The Katapetasma of 1555 and the Lonˇcar, who was serves and makes accessible was more visi- Image of the Orthodox Ruler in the Early to drive them here. ble, more secure. Now, in the renovated Reign of Ivan IV,” in The New Muscovite As wonderful Thompson Library, this “Hilandar Room” Cultural History. A Collection in Honor as this news was, was better positioned within the OSU Libra- of Daniel B. Rowland, ed. Valerie Kivel- this meant that the ries and the University, better prepared to son, (Bloomington, IN: Slavica, 2009), 43- visit would come at a time when there were continue and promote its mission and ad- 62. so very few people on campus. And, al- dress the scholarly needs of the future. In conclusion, we had cause to once though we did not yet know this, it would We spent several hours with our visi- more remember the foresight of the elders be on the day that a malfunctioning camera tors, showing them more of Thompson of Hilandar Monastery: the fire this year sensor would make the recording of this Library and answering their various ques- on April5/6 at St. Panteliemon Monastery historic event challenging. tions. Their visit of only a few hours con- on Mount Athos was, fortunately, relatively Our guests arrived from Cleveland, cluded with a brief visit to St. Stevan of small. Throughout history, all the mona- where they had been present and partici- Deˇcani Serbian Orthodox Church in steries on the Holy Mount have suffered pated in the Sunday liturgy at the Serbian Columbus, where a lenten luncheon was fires, often devastating in scope. In the past, Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava, the parish organized by its priest, Fr. Isak Kisin. little could be done. Now, thankfully, better of Fr. qivojin Jakovljevi‹ (who, coinci- communication, equipment, and planning dentally, had just recently defended his provide the possibility to greatly reduce dissertation on Hilandar Slavic manuscript The HRL often benefits from donations potential destruction and damage. 280 at OSU). From there, they would visit of books and even partial libraries by scho- us before again turning west. lars, collectors, and supporters. In this This visit would be an undreamt of issue, we acknowledge the generous dona- CYRILLIC MANUSCRIPT opportunity to show the Abbot and other tion of Ann Salimbene from the library of HERITAGE guests how we at Ohio State preserve and her late husband, Michael W. Curran, for- make accessible to students and scholars mer Professor of History and Dean at OSU. Director: PREDRAG MATEJIC the monastery’s 800-year-old manuscript The list of gift-in-kind donors in this Assistant Curator: LYUBOMIRA and related cultural heritage. We could newsletter includes several scholars who PARPULOVA GRIBBLE show and explain how this heritage is an used our resources in their research and Managing Editor: HELENE SENECAL integral part, the origin and “heart” of what who, in turn, donated the publications re- Media Consultant: LORRAINE NETRETI‹ has become our collection of thousands sulting from this research. It is uplifting to Contributing Editor: DARIA SAFRONOVA of Slavic Cyrillic (and other) manuscripts see that the “seed” that led to the HRL on microform. continues to flourish and the many ways Hilandar Research Library We were able to show them how the in which these materials contribute to scho- Resource Center for Medieval Slavic Studies microfilms are now kept in “cold storage,” larship. During this visit, we showed The Ohio State University as well as the highly secure stacks, where Abbot Metodije and Hierodeacon 119 Thompson Library our 10,000 reference volumes are located. Arsenije many offprints of articles we had Columbus, Ohio 43210-1286 They saw our offices, and the wonderful, received from scholars who utilized spacious Reading Room with its “Hilan- Hilandar manuscripts on microfilm in their Telephone: 614-292-0634 dar” corner of ready-reference materials. research. We were preparing to send these Fax: 614-688-8417 They also saw the special rooms for offprints to Hilandar Monastery, in E-mail: [email protected] microforms, other audio-visual materials, accordance with the original agreements Website: seminars and teaching, all of which were and understandings between Hilandar www.cmrs.osu.edu/rcmss/ located within that secure Reading Room. Monastery and The Ohio State University. June 2011 Cyrillic Manuscript Heritage 3 New Associate Director for Special Collections Lisa R. Carter has been appointed as the new Associate Director for Special Collections and Area Studies. She began her duties on 1 April 2011, coming to Ohio State from the North Carolina State University Libraries, where she was Head of the Special Collections Research Center. In that capacity, Lisa provided leadership, administration and strategic direction for their Libraries’ special collections program, including university archives, manuscripts, rare books, digital programs and research services. Recently, the OSU Libraries had an opportunity to restructure their organization. As the new Associate Director for both the ten special collections and area studies, Lisa will manage the special collections and area studies operations, services and resources of the Libraries, and enhance and promote the unique research opportunities that these collections offer to OSU faculty, students and staff, as well as to scholars and other researchers around the globe. Photo courtesy of Univrsity Libraries In addition to the Hilandar Research Library, the ten current Special Collections consist of the Byrd Polar Archives, Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, William Charvat Collection of American Fiction, Historic Costume and Textiles Collection, Medical Heritage Center, Ohio Congressional Archives, Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E.