EXHIBITION OF THE BEST-MADE FACSIMILE OF MIROSLAV GOSPEL OPENED

PALE, OCTOBER 8 /SRNA/ – An exhibition showcasing the best-made facsimile of the oldest Serbian Cyrillic manuscript, the Miroslav Gospel, was opened this evening at the Faculty of Economics in Pale. All interested visitors will be able to view it until Saturday, October 11.

The exhibition, titled 'Divine Inspiration – The Miroslav Gospel,' was organized by the Alumni Association of the Faculty of Economics of the Istočno Sarajevo University and the 'Miroslav Gospel' Association. One of the facsimile’s editors, Veljko Topalović, told reporters that the exhibition presents the best possible reproductions of the Gospel, as well as of the Serbian Psalter—a manuscript written in the time of Prince Lazar, whose original is kept in the Bavarian State Library in Munich. According to him, the facsimiles of the Miroslav Gospel and the Serbian Psalter are the two most magnificent Serbian manuscripts, unique in Europe. Topalović said that, according to the testimony of monks, Saints Simeon and Sava served liturgies using this very Gospel on Mount Athos, and that the original is preserved in the National Museum in Belgrade. He noted that the Miroslav Gospel dates from the 12th century and is regarded as the most significant movable Serbian cultural treasure. Owing to the beauty of its artistic decoration, UNESCO included it in 2005 among the 120 most valuable documents of all humankind. Topalović explained that the first facsimile of the Miroslav Gospel was printed in Johannesburg in 1998, and a new edition was produced three decades later, in 2019. “After 200 print trials across the world, the publishing house 'Dosije' and the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral produced a new facsimile of the Miroslav Gospel. It is the first edition in the world with a faithful reproduction of gold illumination, which is characteristic of Orthodox manuscripts,” Topalović said. He added that both manuscripts reveal that medieval Serbian monks were among the most educated people in Europe, possessing extraordinary knowledge not only of the Old and New Testaments and the writings of the Holy Fathers, but also of Greco-Roman and Egyptian mythology, history, medicine, and the earliest Greek poets. The exhibition has so far been seen by two million visitors around the world. The organization of this unique exhibition was supported by the Faculty of Economics in Pale, the City Administration of Istočno Sarajevo, the Cinematheque of Republika Srpska, the Municipal Administration of Pale, Istočno Novo Sarajevo, and Istočna Ilidža.