Hi guys, can someone help me translate this inscription at an orthodox monastery in Romania? I figured that is old bulgarian (called by some old church slavonic), so thats why Im asking you. Благодаря!

14 comments

1. I also speak some bulgarian, very little tho, I can get the general meaning of a news article, the only word I got here is син поiiе рабул от, but I dont really know if thats accurate or what it means.

2. There is a reason why its called OCS, its difficult to make out the words, even less the meaning.

3. The fact I had studied OCS for 3 years in high school and cannot even read it is absolutely awesome.
   Edit: If it’s urgent, I can send it to my OCS teacher, she will translate it. Do you want me to do that?

4. this cyrilic is not bulgarian

5. I think this might be Romanian language written in Cyrillic.

6. It is archaic Romanian language, written in the chirilic alfabet.
   Without my glasses, I can read “Mesia” (Messia in English language), written as ME SE iA

7. Hey OP, I am a bit rusty, but the inscription mentions somebody(starts with I) his brother/somebody’s brother/ Jacob and a guy named Radul. The rest is unreadable and/or I don’t get it. At the bottom it says. Year/leto/ 16(7?)something. 1769 is my guess.

   Bellow the angel, no idea.

   You had your very own kind of church slavonic(not old church Slavonic, just church Slavonic), influenced by Bulgarian, but not the same. Some expert should chime in.

   I guess those dudes were benefactors it the monastery or did something for the monastery.

8. I also cannot read it, but this is quite interesting. Where is that monastery ? What is it called ?

9. Mate wish I could help as I speak Ohrid school Old Bulgarian which is pretty similar to OCS (OCS usually is more “modern” and more regional, i.e. Russian school, Late Middle Bulgarian (rarely found), Czech, Serbian etc.) but this is written using Romanian cyrillic (the one used up until the 1850s not the Moldovan one) and is full of shortenings. Maybe if you can give me a couple of minutes i’ll figure it out.

10. Isn’t this the very place that the builder/architect of the church buried his wife? That’s what I remember from when I visited.

11. The letters are unkown therefor most people won’t be able to translate it.

12. Manole, the builder is forced by Radu Negru (maybe this is the RADUL you are seeing in the text) to sacrifice his own pregnant wife by encasing her in the walls of the building, so i guess this is the plaque of her.

13. **I FOUND THE TRANSLATION:**

    † Stan Zug(rav) i brat ego Iacov Zug(rav) sin popei Radul ot Răşinar,

    mesţa sep(tembrie) 1, Leat 7270

    Stan Zugrav and his brother Yakov Zugrav, sons of priest Radul from Răşinar, September 1st, 7270 (1761).

    its church slavonic written in romanian cyrillic.

14. Romania used Cyrillic many years ago, so it’s probably in Romanian.