CRNOGORSIA AKAIEfflJA

NAllA IIIJEffiOSTI
~142
NauCoakonfereneija
I000-GODISNJICA
SVETOG JOVANA RADIMIIA
Seientifie Conferenee
th
11IE I000 ANNMBSARY
OF SAINT JOVAN VIADIMIR

2017
 CRNOGORSKA AKADEMIJA NAUKA I UMJETNOSTI
u saradnji sa
AKADEMIJOM NAUKA ALBANIJE
i3UGARSKOM AKADEMIJOM NAUKA
MAKEDONSKOM AKADEMIJOM NAUKA I UMJETNOSTI

1000-GODISNJICA
SVETOG JOVANA VLADIMIRA

MONTENEGRIN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES AND ARTS

In cooperation with
ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF ALBANIA
BULGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
MACEDONIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES AND ARTS

THE 1000th ANNIVERSARY

OF SAINT JOVAN VLADIMIR

Radovi sa naucne konferencije odrfane u Podgorici 21. oktobra 2016. godine, u organizaciji
Crnogorske akademije nauka i umjetnosti.
 MONTENEGRIN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES AND ARTS

Scientific Meetings
Volume 142

THE 1000th ANNIVERSARY

OF SAINT JOVAN VLADIMIR
Proceedings from the Scientific Conference
October 21, 2016, MASA, Podgorica

Editor
Academician Dorde Borozan

Podgorica
2017
Andi REMBECr

CHURCH SERVICES (AKOLOUTHIA) IN HONOR OF

ST. JOHN VLADIMIR IN THE ALBANIAN-SPEAKING
WEST BALKANS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE SPREAD
AND CONSOLIDATION OF HIS VENERATION

Abstract: The cult of St. John the Vladimir was promoted mainly by two clergymen.
First byKosmas Mavroudes (1643-1701), former Metropolitan ofKitios and Amathunta, in
Cyprus, who was to serve from the year 1682 as the abbot of the Monastery of St. John the
Vladimir in Elbasan and, in 1693, was elected Metropolitan of Durres. The second person
who promoted the cult of St. John the Vladimir was Joasaph, Archbishop of Ochrid (1719-
1745). He was responsible for the publication in Moschopolis, on 1742, of many akolouthi­
ai (services) for different saints who were honored by the locals. The Vitae and akolouthia
of the Saint John the Vladimir were among these publications. After its first publication in
Venice, on 1744 was published another akolouthia of the saint in Greek language, that was
to be republished, in the same place, in 1858. At the same time, different local artists were
invited to paint the interiors of the churches or paint mobile icons ,-vith the portrait or cy­
cles of the life of St. John the Vladimir. The critical investigation of the abovementioned
akolouthiai, seen as diachronic instruments in the political and socio-economical context,
aims to analyze, firstly, the reappearance of the cult of St. John the Vladimir in the ottoman
period and the popularity that he had in the Albanian milieu. At the same time, the com­
paring the above instruments with the artistic material heritage of the cult of the St. John
the Vladimir mainly in Central Albania, will bring into discussion the theory of a coordi­
nated effort that aims the consolidation of the cult of the saint, but altogether with his pro­
motion and the promotion of other martyr-saints, the resistance against the islamization.
Key words: St. John Vladimir, relics and reliquary, Post-Byzantine Art, Ochrid Arch­
diocese, post-Post-Byzantine hagiography, Slavic saints, Greek hymnography, Typography,
Islamization

In the Medieval history of the Balkans, there are some hegemons, like Krum
of Bulgaria (803-814), the Tsars Simeon (864/865-927 ) and Samuel (997-1014),
Zupan Stefan Nemanja (1113-1119), Stefan Dushan (1308-1355), George Kas-

· Dr Andi Rembeci, Department of History, University of Tirana

78 Andi Rembeci

triote the Scanderbeg (1405-1468) and Vlad Tepesh, prince ofVallachia (1431-
1477), who remained ingrained in the memory of the Balkan people and were
honored by them. In this paper, we will refer to another historical person, the
Prince of Dioclea, John the Vladimir, [Fig. l] who has remained in the mem-
ory of the Balkan people and nowadays is honored as a saint. The honoring of
his cult is the best and most characteristic example of the reciprocal influence
of a saint in the Balkan territory, mainly in Montenegro, Albania and West-
ern Macedonia.
John the Vladimir has been the ruler of the area known as Dioclea or Ze-
ta, from the year 990 until 1016, that is, during the period of the war between
Byzantium and Bulgaria, leaded by Basil II and Samuel. Even though he de-
feated the Byzantines several times, Samuel could not conquer Thessaloniki
and secure himself an exit to the sea1• Following the logic, but also guided by
the need, he moved toward west, toward Dioclea (Duklja) and Durres (Dyr-
rachion). While struggling to protect his territories, John the Vladimir made
alliance with Byzantium, but when Dioclea was conquered in 997, he was tak-
en captive by Samuel. Under these circumstances, John the Vladimir met the
daughter of Samuel, Kosara, with whom he got married, ensuring, thus, not
only his hegemony over Dioclea, but also over Durres. After the death of Sam-
uel, John the Vladimir was beheaded, together with his wife, in 1016 by Ivan
Vladislav, nephew of Tsar Samuel. Ivan Vladislav had previously killed his
savior, Radomir, the son and heir ofJohn the Vladimir, together with his wife2 •
The body ofJohn the Vladimir was initially buried in the church ofBogorodit-
sa Krajinska (Precista Krajinska) in Montenegro. Later, in 1215, his relics were
transferred in Durres and, later, to the Monastery of St. John the Vladimir in
Elbasan (Neocastron).
The history ofJohn the Vladimir has been mentioned by John Skylitzes and
George Kedrenos, who make an account on the history of their time3. More-
over, this history has been spread from the Chronicle of the priest of Dioclea,
which is the first and main source for the biography of the saint4. This text

1
A. Kadic, "King Vladimir ofDioclea (Duklja) in south Slavic literatures", in: Balkanis-
tica 8 (1992), pp. 158-169.
2
A. Kadic, King Vladimir of Dioclea, pp. 158- 169. J. Ferluga, Byzantium on the Balkans:
Studies on the Byzantine Administration and the Southern Slavs from the 7t1, to the 12th cen-
turies, Amsterdam: Adolf M. Hakkert, 1976, p. 233.
3
H. Thurn (ed.), Ioannis Scylitzae Synopsis Historiarum . Series: Corpus Fontium Histo-
riae Byzantinae - Series Berolinensis 5, Berlin: De Gruyter 1973, p. 342.
4
R. Elsie, A dictionary of Albanian religion, mythology and folk culture, London: Hurst
& Company, 2001, p 139. A. Papageorgiou, To Xpov1K6 wu It:pia ,rye; L\16dE1ac;: Kf.iµEvo,
 Church services (akolouthia) in honor of St. John Vladimir... 79

was written in Latin about the end of the 13th century by the Cistercian monk
Riidigerby all means, based on an earlier Bulgarian version of his biography,
compiled briefly after his martyr death 5• The main aim of the Chronicle was
to serve to the politic~! ambitions of one of the most powerful people of that
time, Pavel Subic (1245-1312), who wanted to create a Croatian Kingdom of
the South Slavs. The Biography of Saint John the Vladimir was included in the
chapter 36 of the Chronicle, first for didactic reasons, but second while trying
to make an approaching point between Subic and the Bulgarians6 •
Some centuries later, at the end of the 17th century, the Vita and the Akol-
outhia of St. John the Vladimir will appear in the Albanian milieu for the first
time in Greek language, both in a single edition printed in Venice in 1690 [Fig.
2] and, since then, was republished several times, initially in Moschopolis in
1742, and latter again in Venice in 1774 and 1858.
The cult of St. John the Vladimir was promoted mainly by two clergymen.
First by Cosmas Mavroudes (1643-1701)7, a cosmopolitan individual [Fig. 3].
After his graduation from the Greek College of Rome, Cosmas Mavroudes
was traveling in the East: in Cyprus, Alexandria, Cairo, Antioch, Syria, Tu-
nisia, Mount Athos, Constantinople, Patmos, etc., but also in the West: Par-
is, Lyon, Livorno, Rome. In 1674 was elected Metropolitan of Kitios and Am-
athounta, in Cyprus, but he was not going to stay for long in his bishopric. His
vitality and energy will be expanded over Balkans, in Bari, Budva, Shkodra,

M£Ta<ppaa11, LXOAta, ra IIp6awrra Kato Xwpoc;, Athens: Armos, 2012, pp. 124-135. S. Piri-
vatrire, "Emperor's Daughter in Love with a Prisoner: Comparing the Stories of Skylitzes
and Anonymous Presbyter Diocleae." in: Juhasz E. (ed.), Byzanz und das Abend/and: Begeg-
nungenzwischen Ost und West, 273 - 283. Budapest: Ebtvos-J6zsef-Collegium, pp. 273-283.
5
V. Tupkova-Zaimova, "Un manuscrit inconnu de la vie de st Jean-Vladimir", in Byz-
ance et les Balkans apartir du VIe siecle: les mouvements ethniques et les Etats, Series: Col-
lected studies 94, London: Variorum Reprints 1979, pp. 178-188.
6
Papageorgiou, ToXpovtK6, pp. 12-23.
7
About more info onCosmasMavroudessee: "Constantin (Cosmas) Mauroudes" in
Emile Legrand, Bibliographie hellenique: ou description raisonnee des ouvrages publies par
des Grecs au dix-septiemesiecle, Paris: Librairie Orientale et Americaine, 1903, pp. 400-405.
Z. Tsirpanlis, AviK8ora'Eypa<paEKTwvApxdwvwvBaTtKavov, 1625-1667, Nicosia: CyprusRe-
search Centre, 1973 (Unpublished documents from the Vatican archives 1625-1667), pp.
187-188. A. Tylliridis (TuHrip[0fJ<;), "Kocrµa<; Maupou8~<; Mri,pono11.[TTJ<; Kn[ou, 15 Iou11.[ou
1643-15 Iavouap[ou 1702", KvrrptaKai1:rrov8ai AH'-AE> ' (1974-75), p. 54. Z. N. Tsirpan-
lis, "Contacts between Cypriot monks and the catholic west in the seventeenth century",
tiw8wv11 25 (1996), pp. 129-145. A. Hadjikyriacou, "The Ottomanization of Cyprus: Trubu-
lent Times of Transition and the Quest for New Analytical Tools", in: -Omit Devrim (ed.), Ot-
toman World: Foundational Coexistences, Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, p. 9.
80 Andi Rembeci

Elbasan, etc. In Elbasan, he was going to serve from 1682 as the Abbot of the
Monastery of St. John the Vladimir and, in 1693, was elected Metropolitan of
Durres. Cosmas, to whom is mistakenly attributed the authorship of the Vi-
ta of the saint, provided John Papa from Elbasan, who was then living in Ven-
ice, with the Vita (biography) of the saint and the first Akolouthia (service),
which was preserved at the monastery and was published after the corrections
of Papa and his introduction in Venice on 1690. The full title is: "AKoAov0ia I
wDAyiovtvo6~ov (3amAEWC, I Kal MEyaAoµaprvpoc, I'Iwavvov I wDBAaotµrypov
Kal 0avµawvpyoD. I Tvnw0ElcJa oanavnwDr1µ1wrawvKvpiov I'Iwavvov Ilana
I wDiKrf/c, n6AEwc,NwKaarpov I Kal nap' avwDwfc,6µonarpiotc,, Kal wfc,Aomofc,
wfc,µn' EVAa{3Eiac, EKEtaE npoaEpxoµivotc,EK000Efaa." 8 (The service of the Saint
and glorious king and great martyr John the Vladimir the miraculous. Print-
ed with the expenses of the most honored mister John Papas from the city of
Neocastron, and was published by him for his fellow countrymen and every-
body else, with devotion and prayer).
Taking into consideration other earlier sources, Vasilika Tupkova-Zaimo-
va, in one of her researches 9 informs us that she could detect in the catalogue
of the manuscripts of the (then) Lenin Library of Moscow (nowadays State Li-
brary of Russia), published in 1946, four folios containing fragments of the Vi-
ta of St. John the Vladimir in Greek, a text that was not much different from
the one published in 1742 and 1858 [Fig. 4]. If this manuscript dates at the end
of the 16th - beginning of the 17th century, as she claims, then we are confront-
ed with the existence of a written tradition of the Vita of the saint written in
Greek, before the printed publication of the year 169010 • This fact reinforces
our belief that Cosmas was not the author of the Bios, while the manuscript of
the Vita and of the Akolouthia of the saint were present at the Monastery, as

8
'Axo>.ov0ia rovayiovtv86~ov {3amAiw<; Kai µtya>.oµaprvpo<; 'JwavvovroiJB).a81µ17pov
Kai eavµarovpyov. Turcw0£iaa CaTIClVflTOU-TlµLWTClTOUKuplou'Iwavvou IIami TOUEKT~<;
TIOt..£w<;NrnKaaTpou, Kai Tiap' auToiiToic;oµoTiaTpiou; Kai rnic;;\.omoic; TOi<;µn' £UA.a~£iac;
0

EK£l0"£ Tipoa£pxoµtvo1<;EKC00£iaa. 'Evnirimv: IIapalwavv. AVTWVL4'T{il Iou;\.1av{il Kai

Toic;aC£A<poic;, 1690. For the factic data of the edition, seealso Emile Legrand, Bibliographie
hellenique: OU description raisonnee des ouvrages publies par des Crees au dix-septieme siecle,
tome deuxieme, Paris: Alphonse Picard et Fils Editeurs, 1894, pp. 479-482. Louis Petit, Bi-
bliographie des Acolouthies grecques, Subsidia Hagiographica 16, Bruxelles: Societe des Bol-
landistes, 1926, 121-123.
9
V. Tupkova-Zaimova, Un manuscrit inconnu, pp. 178- 188.
10
V. Tupkova-Zaimova, Un manuscrit inconnu, pp. 178-188. A paleographic analysis
on the publication was presented by the colleague Victor Nedeski on his paper "New dis-
coveries for the hellenophone hagiographic and hymnographic tradition about Saint John
Vladimir", in this conference.
 Church services (akolouthia) in honor of St. John Vladimir... 81

Joan Papa pretends in his introduction: "I wrote to the most reverend ... Mis-
ter Kosmas ... who is the abbot of the Monastery of the Saint ... begging him
... to give me the Akolouthia of the Saint together with his Vitae, since they
are found there, so I ~an bring it to the press" 11 •
The Vita and the Akolouthia of the year 1690 is found between the pages
3 and 51 of the edition. The emblem of the publishing house is seen at the ti-
tle page. The Akolouthia is decorated with two engravings of the saint, work
of Isabella Piccini12 • The first engraving is found on page four [Fig. 5]. There
the saint is depicted with royal clothes, bearing a crown on his head. In the
right hand, he has the characteristic cross that symbolizes martyrdom, while
in the left he holds his head. Some images of John the Vladimir have been in-
cluded in the publication entitled Stematografija, of the well-known Serbian
painter and engraver Hristofor Zefarovic, published in Vienna in 174!1 3 • The
same scene has been used one year later, in 1742, to design the engraving with
scenes from the life of the saint, which was printed on the expenses of the mer-
chants of Moschopolis, which latter circulated also as a separated engraving 14 •
The second engraving [Fig. 6], found on page 47 of the edition, portrays
Saint John the Vladimir dressed in a long robe, with a royal mantle, lied on
kind of skenoma (crK~vwµa); he bears a crown, while his head is resting on a
pillow. The theme of this scene is inspired by the content of the Stasis of the
Magnifications (Megalynarion) of the Akolouthia. The iconography of the saint,
developed in the form of illustrations in the Akolouthia of the year 1690, will
become the source of reference for latter iconographic models in a number of

11
A,w>..ov0ia 1690, pp. 5-7.
12
E. Drakopoulou, "No. 47: Saint John Vladimir and Scenes from His Life", in: Anastasia
Tourta, (ed.) Icons from the Orthodox Communities of Albania, 136-42. Thessaloniki: Kapon
Editions, 2005, pp. 136-142. 889-900. Ch. Walter, "An Icon of Saint John Vladimir at Mount
Sina", in: Maria-AspraVardavaki, (ed.) AAMIJH,1[2N. A<ptipwµa ar11Mv71µ11r11c;Nwv>..ac;
MovpiKIJ, vol. 2, Athens: Polytechnic University of Athens Press, 2003, pp. 889-900. R. Lo-
zanova, "Images of Slavic Saints in Moschopolis and Vithkuqi-Albania", Les Saints slaves
dans l'histoire de l' eglise chretienne; Annuaire de l'Universite de Sofia "St. Kliment Ochrids-
ki", Centre de Recherche Slavo-byzantines "Ivan Dujcev", t. 92 /11/2002, Sofia 2003, pp. 177-
188, ill. 332-351. K. Giakoumis, "An Unpublished Icon of St. John Vladimir and a Typologi-
cal Classification of the Saint's Imagery", Church Studies, v. 13 (2016), pp. 169- 208.
13
D. Papastratou, Xaprm:c; E1K6vt:c;, Op06oo~a 0p1JaKWTtKa XapaKTtKa 1665-1899,
vol. III. Athens 1986, 241 - 249. D. Davidov, ,,CopperplateengravingsofHristofor Zefano-
vic forGreekclients", in: Mt:ra~v(avnva xapaKTtK<X, IIpaKTIK<X Emar11µov1K71c; Hµt:pioac;,
0rncra11.ovlKTJ 1999, 21-32. E. Drakopoulou, Saint John Vladimir, p. 138 .
14
E. Drakopoulou, Saint John Vladimir, p. 136-141.
82 Andi Rembeci

monuments not only in Albania, but also in the wider area, in Ochrid, Bulgar-
ia, Hungary, Mount Athos, and also Mount Sinai1 5 •
The brief content of the Akolouthia is:

pp. 5-6: Foreword [Fig. 7]

The Publisher of the Akolouthia, Joan Papas, in his foreword
mentions the collaboration with the abbot of the Monastery
of St. John the Vladimir, Cosmas the Cypriote that we men-
tioned above; Cosmas furnished him with the manuscript of
the Vita and the Akolouthia of the Saint. After being equipped
with the manuscript, Joan Papas declares that, before the book
was sent to print, he made the necessary corrections and ad-
ditions.
pp. 20-33: After the third Ode of the Canons follows the reading from
the Vita of the saint.
Inc. LvyKaAEf a1µt:pov ftµac;, w 0t:fovKaiit:p6v avarr,µa
TWV(f)lAEoprwv.
pp. 36-42: Synaxarion of the feast of the saint.
Inc. Ovwc; oiv f3aatAEV<JlV<Xytwrawc; Kai iv8o~6rawc; 'Jwavvr,c;.
pp. 46: Verses honoring the saint.
Inc. KAEO<; Ba<JtAEWV KaiayAai<Jµa0t:fov µaprvpwv.
pp. 47-51: Stasis of the Magnification of the saint.
Inc. Alyt:vt:airraaat, µaKapi(oµiv at:, B1a8iµr,pt: rptaµaKap.

Finally, the book concludes by publishing, with mistakes and disfigurations,

the ktitoric inscription [Fig. 8], that commemorates the rebuilding of the cen-
tral church of the Monastery of St. John the Vladimir in year 1382 by the Al-
banian prince Karl Topia, after an earthquake that destroyed it in 1380. Af-
ter the fire that happened at the Monastery on March 14th 1944, the epigraph
in three languages (Greek, Latin and Slavic) was transported and nowadays is
housed at the National Historic Museum in Tirana [Fig. 9] 16 •
The second clergymen who contributed to the honoring of St. John the
Vladimir was the eminent hierarch from Kon;:a, Joasaph, initially elected in

15
For achronological list of artworks with St. John Vladimir and for the related biblio-
graphy, see: K. Giakoumis, An Unpublished Icon of St. John Vladimir, Appendix 1-3, pp. 178-
207, where relevant bibliography can be found .
16
Th. Popa, Mbishkrimete Kisha vene Shqiperi, Tirana: Akademia e Shkencave, 1998,
inscr. 2-5, pp. 49-52. M. Labi, Gjon Vladimiri. Princiqe u be Shenjt (sipas Burimeve Arkivo-
re). Tirane: Muzeu Historik Kombetar, 2015, pp. 14-18.
 Church services (akolouthia) in honor of St. John Vladimir... 83

1706 bishop of the Prespa region, and later, in 1709, elected Metropolitan of
Koritzaand Selasphoros, while on February 4 th 1719 was elected Archbishop
of Ochrid (1719-1745), administrating also the Mitropolis of Kor<;:a and Se-
lasphoros17. The _yeneration of St. John the Vladimir was spread during that
time while the Archbishopric of Ochrid was being renovated and which, un-
der the administration of Ioasaph was transformed into an important spir-
itual and cultural factor of the time, through two eminent centers: Ochrid
and Moschopolis 18 . Joasaph was responsible for the publication in Moschop-
olis, in 1742, of many Akolouthiai for different saints who were honored by
the locals. The Vitae of the Fifteen Martyrs of Strumnitsa (1741), Saint Eras-
mus of Ochrid (1742), Saint Naum (1742), Saint Nicodemus of Berat (1742),
the Seven Saints (1742) and of Saint John the Vladimir (1742) were among
these publications19 .
Even though, in general, the text of the Akolouthia of Moschopolis (1742) 20
is consentient with the first Venetian edition of the year 1690, still there are
some variations between them. Namely, the edition of the year 1742 does not
include: 1) The introduction of John Papas, the editor of the Akolouthia of the
year 1690; 2) The readings from the Biblical texts; 3) The Vita of the saint that
should had been found after the 3rd Ode of the Canons; 4) The Verses that hon-
or the saint; 5) The Stasis of the Magnifications of the saint. On the other hand,

17
A. Rembeci, The Codex of the Holy Metropolis of Korr;a and Selasphorus: Edition and
Historical Documentation (l?h-19 th centuries) (in Greek), Corfu: Ionian University, 2009, pp.
115 - 131. M1xa~A TpiTo~, ,,LTOLXEia y1a TT]V npocrwmKOTT]TU TOU Axp1owvlwacracp", in: A0a-
VCl<JLO~ Ayye.\onou.\o~ (ed.), Xp1ar1av1K71 MaKeoovia: lldayovia-Mux a.U.11 EUaoa-ewaa-
J..,ovlK1J-Axpioa, 0wcra.\oviKT]: University Studio Press, 2004, pp. 422-456. A. Bryer, ,,Peo-
ple Get the Heroes and Martyrs They Deserve", in: P. Thomo, G. Bushaka (eds.), 2000 Years
Church Art and Culture in Albania, Tirana: KOASh, 2005, pp. 62-64.
18
M. D. Peyfuss, Shtypshkronja e Voskopojes, 1731-1769. Shtypja e libra vedhe adh urimi
ishenjtorevene Patriarkanen e Ohrit (Die Druckerei von Moschopolis, 1731- 1769. Buchdruck
und Heiligenverehrungim Erzbistum Achrida, Tirane: Shtepia e Librit & Komunikimit, 2002,
pp. 168-178.
19
M. D. Peyfuss, Shtypshkronja e Voskopojes, 91-180. On the anastatic reprints of
the Akolouthiae of the Moschopolis printing house, see: Ilp11pep;1,rn. Xp11cTo MeJIOBCKM,
MocKononcKu 36op1-tuK, nponowKu J1Cumuja 1-1a ceem4u, Bibliotheca Miscellanea Byzantino-
Macedonica, 1.2, CKonje: )],orep. 1996. (Faksimil nevy da niemoschopolskeho zbornika z r.
1741.) dhe A. E. Tachiaos, Cyrillomethodianum X, Thessalonique: Association Hellenique
D'Etudes Slaves, 1986.
20
AKOAOV0ia rovayiovtvo6~ov {3aatAEW(, Kai µt:yaJ..,oµaprvpoc,1wavvovrov B}.,ao1µ71pov
Kai 0avµarovpyov. Venice: Glykys, 1742 and 1774 [Legrand, Bibliographie Hellenique, 18 e
siecle, I, pp. 284- 190, no. 286; II, pp. 184-185, no. 796*], republished on: Cyrillomethodia-
num 10 (1986), pp. 163-187.
84 Andi Rembeci

the edition of the year 1742 has a very important addition regarding its author.
Unlike the edition of the year 1690, the edition of 1742 has an additional Ode,
the 9th Ode, comprised of some additional troparia. Exactly at this part of the
text, following the tradition, with the acrostika of the troparia, the author has
added his name: Daniel (.6.ANIHA) 21 [Fig. 10], writing it through the initial
letters of each troparion. The same person, Daniel, appears in the same way, in
the same place, even in the Akolouthia of the year 1774 and 185822 , published
again in Venice, on expenses of the merchants from Moschopolis.
Louis Petit and Emile Legrand have mentioned Theodore Hadjiphilipides
(1730-1805), the scholar originated from Elbasan, who had studied at the New
Academy of Moschopolis, as the author of the Stasis of the Magnifications in the
Akolouthia of the year 1690 and, as a result, also that of the year 174223. This
claim cannot be based on reality, since Theodore Hadjiphilipides lived most of
his adult life in the second half of the 18th century. Also, the Stasis of the Mag-
nifications, that supposedly were written by Hadjiphilipides, are not present in
the edition of the year 1742, as we mentioned earlier. For this reason, we strong-
ly support that the author of the Stasis is our newly found Daniel.
After the first edition of the year 1690 in Venice, the Akolouthia in Greek
of St. John the Vladimir was to be published for a second time in 1774 in
Moschopolis and later in 1858, but this third and last time in Venice24 [Fig.
11]. During the same period, different local artists were invited to paint the

21
According to our research, without considering it exhausted, on the aforemen-
tioned time period there are two per-sons bearing the name Daniel: Daniel Demetri-
os Philippides (~avt~11.~11µ~-rpto<;<Dt11.mrr[811<;, 1750/55-1832) and Daniel Moschopolites
(~av1~11.Moaxorro11.l-r11<;, 1754-1825). Both of them can be considered excluded, because they
are born after the publication of the Akolouthia. About Daniel, the Metropolitan of Kor<;:a
(1759-1766), see the paper of the colleague Victor Nedeski "New discoveries for the helleno-
phone hagiographic and hymnographic tradition about Saint John Vladimir", in these pro-
ceedings.
AKoAov0ia wvayiovev86{ov fiamUwc; Kai µeya),,oµaprvpoc; 1wavvovrov B),,a81µ71pov
22

Kai 0avµawvpyov. Turrw0£iaa<5arravnrnfmµ1wnhou Kuplou 'Iwavvou Ilarra.toii£Kt~<; rr611.E-

w<; NrnKaatpou. IIpo<;-rorraptxw0ai<5wpEav, Kairnl<;11.omoi<;toi<; µn ' EuaEpEia<;£KEfornpo-
aEpxoµtvo1<;. <;l\j!OO'.'EvEtlna1v, 1774. Ilapa NtKOAU<¼) fAuK£iT4i£ (Iwavv[vwv. Con Licenzade'
Superiori. [Petit, Bibliographie des Acolouthies grecques, 121-123].
23
Legrand, Bibliographie Hellenique, 17 e siecle, II, pp. 479- 482, no. fi37, Petit, Biblio-
graphie des Acolouthies grecques, 121-123.
AKoAov0iawvayiovev86{ovfiamUwc;, Kaiµeya),,oµaprvpoc;TwavvovwvB,la81µ71pov-
24

Kai0avµawvpyov. Turrw0EiaaµEvrrpw-rov<5arravn-rou-r1µ1wtatouKup[0tilwavvouIIamitoU£-
Kt~<;TTOAEw<;NEOKUUtpou-vuvO£avaturrw0EiaaKatat~V£K00ULVtoUfAUKUtoU 1774 ava11.w-
µaULtWVEUUEPwvKup[wv'Iwavv1KlouApx1Ep£w<;, fpriyoplouHyouµtvou, 'IwavvouT<ouq:,Ka,
Kwva-rav-r[vouI:uµEWVO<;, A0avaa[oulaKwpou, fEwpy[ouKaiuioulwavvouKpouvtt<, TWV/1.E-
 Church services (akolouthia) in honor of St. John Vladimir... 85

interiors of churches or the portable icons depicting biographical circles of

St. John the Vladimir.
The editions of the Vita and the Akolouthia of St. John the Vladimir
were, mainly, addressed to the Christians of the wider Albanian territory and
"-roTc;:X.omoTc; -roTc;µn' £UAa~Elac; £K£fo£ npocr£pxoµev0tc;" ("to all those that in
hopefulness make pilgrimages [at the Monastery)" 25 ). The period when the
aforementioned texts were published coincides with the same period when the
Orthodox Christians were confronted with two problems: the continuous Is-
lamization and the uniatism. These two problems were threatening the integ-
rity of the Orthodox communities in Albania. We will refer only to the first
topic26 , respecting the space available.
During the first years of the Ottoman invasion, Islam in Albania did not
recognize wide spreading, while the opposite happened latter. On the newly
conquered territories of Albania did not settle large Muslim populations, as
it happened in Thrace, eastern Bulgaria and in Macedonia. During these first
decades of the Ottoman conquest, Islam in Albania was represented by admin-
istrative and military centers, where the Muslim population was smaller than
the half of the total number of the inhabitants27•
The pressure of Islamization begun to grow during the 17th century28 , espe-
cially after the war between Russia and Turkey at the beginning of the 18th cen-
tury. The ottomans started to consider the orthodox population as an alley of

yoµtvwv Kopwva. 'Ev Bev£Ti<;t, tK-rou 'EAATJVLKou Turroypacpdou-rouay[ou fewpylou, 1858.

[Petit, Bibliographie des Acolouthies grecques, 123].
25
'Axo>.ov0ia 1690, 1774, 1885.
26
A general view of the Islamization of the Albanian milieu can be found on: 0. J.
Schmitt (ed.), Religion und KulturimalbanischsprachigenSudosteuropa. Frankfurt am Main:
Lang, 2010, where relevant bibliography can be found.
27
About the Islamization of the Albanian milieu during the first period of the Ottoman
conquest (until the 16th century), see: K. Giakoumis, ,,The Orthodox Church in Albania un-
der Ottoman Rule (15 th -19 th century)", in 0. J. Schmitt (ed.), Religion und Kulturimalbanisch-
sprachigen Sudosteuropa, pp. 69-110. D. Egro, ,,Islam and the Albanian lands (XV'h-XVII th
Century)", in 0. J. Schmitt (ed.), Religion und Kulturimalbanischsprachigen Sudosteuropa,
pp. 13- 52, where the aforementioned bibliography is also found.
28
Generally after the victory of the Christian Spahis of Epiros in the war of the Otto-
mans against Erivan in 1635. From the years 1620-1650, Islamization had been spread so
much, that the Christian population of Albania had fallen from 350.000 to 50.000. This situa-
tion forced the roman bishop of Antibari, Bicci, to write under panic that there was a danger
that in 10 years all Albanians might have been converted to Islam. K.fap[wric;, 0 N£KTapt0c;
Ttprtoc; Kat TO epyo TOU. Ewaywy~ ,.OXOALU, KpLTLK~ £KOOOTJ TOU epyou TOU TI[orn;, 0~pa:
EKo6ow; «O 0w~~TTJ<;», pp. 87-92.
86 Andi Rembeci

the Russians and increased the measures of forced conversion to Islam 2 9 • The
decadence of the Empire and the corruption of the local governors increased
the oppression 30 • Another factor that encouraged conversion was the lack oflo-
cal clergymen 31• Nevertheless, the main reasons for the conversion were mal-
treatment, discrimination and taxation. The conversion of the orthodox popu-
lation to Islam became massive during the 18 th century. During the 17-18th cen-
tury the efforts of the orthodox to stop conversion were coordinated in three
directions: 1) mission through education, while enforcing and encouraging the
orthodox not to give up; 2) bringing attention, through visual arts and iconog-
raphy, to the models of those people who protected faith; and 3) by promoting
and publishing the biographies and services of the local saints and martyrs.
The missionary action is clearly present through the activity of two impor-
tant personalities of that time, Nektarios Terpos 32 from Moschopolis and Saint
Cosmas of Aetolia 33 . Saint Cosmas was active in Southern Albania between the
years 1775-1779, concluding his mission with his martyrdom in 1779. While
Nektarios Terpos, who was the abbot of the Monastery of Ardenica for acer-
tain period of time, spread his activity in the area of Shpat and Berat. While on
refuge from persecution in Italy, he published in 1732 his work "Iliaw.;" (Faith),

29
According to a report offered by a person named Constandis Vrionis, on January 27'\
1637, the order clarified that "those romioi who own feuds, should be converted, if they want
to keep their position; on the contrary, they will be confiscated" (Giakoumis, The Orthodox
Church in Albania, pp. 69-110; K. Sathas EAAf]VLKct AvtKOorn, v. 1, Athens, nr. 126.). One of
the sources that confirms this reality is Evlya Celebi, who on 1670/1 reports about the con-
version to Islam of a garrison in the fortress of Zhulat, who earlier were Christians, i. e., the
guards of the garrison were forced to convert to Islam, if they wanted to maintain their po-
sition (Evliya <;:elebi, 1902: 27). See also: T. W. Arnold, The preaching of Islam: A History of
the Propagation of Muslim Faith, London, Luzac & Co. 1935, p. 115.
30
On the so called "Codex of the church of Delvina", it is mentioned that on 1635, when
"the sons of unfaithful and darkness" did grow in numbers , they came in the neighbor-
hoods of Gjinaleks, Kalopodhates (craftsmen producing shoe moulds) and of the Papout-
sis (craftsmen producing shoes), confiscating the churches and converting them to mosques
"to the glory of their religion", forcing, thus, the Christians who were not Muslims, to move
to another neighborhood.0eµ1atoKAfou~Mn., «Kw81~ Tou vaou Tf]~ n6Aew~ t.eA~lvou»,
Hm:1pwTLK<X. XpovtK<X. 5 (1930) , p. 58.
31
faplwri~, 0 NEKrapwc; Ttpnoc;, p. 87. P. Thengjilli, Rentafeudaleaheevoluimiisajne vi-
se shqiptare: shek. xvii-mesiishek. xviii. Tirane: Shtepia Botuese e Librit Universitar. 1990,
pp. 71- 78, 96.
32
On the life of Nektar Terpo, see: faplwri~, 0 NEKrapwc; Ttpnoc;, where the related
bibliography is found.
33
On the life of NektarTerpo, see: M. A. fK16A1a, 0 Ko<Iµac;A1rwJi,6c; Kat 11 rnox71rov,
A0~va, 1972, where relevant bibliography can be found .
 Church services (akolouthia) in honor of St. John Vladimir.. . 87

which contains theoretical and practical examples that are easy to understand,
extracted from different liturgical books (theory) and from biographies of saints
(practice), borrowed from the synaxaries of the Church. This second practi-
cal part aims to ~ring forward examples of inspiration that would strengthen
the resistance against Islamization 34 • An important role is given to local mar-
tyrs (St. Astios, Bishop ofDyrrachion, Danax of Avlona, Nicodemus ofBerat),
offering to the Christians of the same areas the examples of individuals who
lived in the same place, who did not abandon the religion of their forefathers 35 •
Upon this transitory period, during the 18th century a generation of paint-
ers became noticed: the hierodeacon Constantine of Spatheia, the painters
Tsetiri36 from Grabova and the family Zografi from Korca 37• Their art consti-
tutes the most prominent example of painting dedicated to the religion, in-
herited by the ancestors. The book Faith of Nektarios Terpos became an ori-
entation for them in their iconographic programs that were applied at the in-
terior of churches. The saints and martyrs of the book could be read through
the visual art of iconography. Among those images is present, also, St. John
the Vladimir [Fig. 12], who has been accurately detected by the college Kon-
stantinos Giakoumis in one of his researches on the typological classification
of the appearance of saint 38 .
At the end, the gap created by the lack of reference to other local and well
known saints connected to Moschopolis, that are strangely missing from the
Faith ofNektarios Terpos, who are not unfamiliar to Terpo and the Christians
of the region, comes to be fulfilled with its publishing activity by the press of
Moschopolis 39 • Out of the 21 known publication of Moschopolis in 38 years, not

34
faplrnTjc;, 0 Ntx.Taptor:; Ttpnor:;, p. 73.
35
About an analytic table of the martyr saints mentioned on the work Tilonc;, see: fa-
plrnric;, 0 Nt:KTaptor:; Ttpnoc;, pp. 225-281, 503-506.
36
Ioannis Sisiou, "The Work ofJohn Tzetiri in Velegrad", in: Art And its Role in the His-
tory: Between Durability and Transient - Isms, International Thematic Proceedings dedi-
cated to the Memory of prof. Miodrag Jovanovic, Kosovsk~ Mitrovica: 2014, pp. 255 -274. E.
Moutafov, "Ioannes Tsetiris from Grabovo or Jovan Chetirevic Grabovan" in Topics in Post-
Byzantine Painting. In Memory of Manolis Chatzidakis, Athens 2002. pp. 217-228. E. Dra-
kopoulou, "Peintres de l'espace grec et balkanique: les conditions de leur acceptation et de
leur reception", idem, pp. 101- 139.
37
G. Tsigaras, Ot (wypa<pot Kwva-raVTlvoc; Kat A0avamoc; UTIO TTJV Kopurna. T6£pyo -
-rouc;o-r6Ayt0v'Opoc; (1752-1783), Athens 2003, where relevant bibliography can be found.
38
K. Giakoumis, An Unpublished Icon of St. John Vladimir, Appendix 1- 3, pp. 178- 207.
39
For an overview of the different interpretations about the publications in Moschopo -
lis, seeM. D. Peyfuss, Shtypshkronja e Voskopojes, pp. 168-178, where relevant bibliographi-
es can be found.
88 Andi Rembeci

less than 19 of them are of religious content, hereupon more than 90% 40 • Out of
these 19 publications, 14 are akolouthiai of saints, like, for example, of the Sev-
en Saints, the protectors of the region, of the Osios Naoum, to whom the mon-
astery by lake Ochrid is dedicated, as well as those of many other martyrs and
neo-martyrs, that were honored in Moschopolis or were originated from the
regions, like the neo-martyr Antonios (celebrated on January 17th ), the neo-
martyr Nikolaos (celebrated on May 9th ), Saint John the Vladimir (May 22 nd ),
Saint Erasmus, who is considered to be the first missionary in the region of
Ochrid (July 2nd ), etc41 •
The critical investigation of the abovementioned akolouthiai, seen as dia-
chronic instruments in the political and socio-economical context, aims to an-
alyze the honor of the cult of St. John the Vladimir and the popularity that he
had in the Albanian milieu. At the same time, by comparing the above instru-
ments with the artistic tangible heritage of the cult of the St. John the Vladimir,
as seen in churches that are found in different regions of Albania, tried to bring
forward some suggestions that have not been discussed so far, about the pos-
sible existence of a coordinated effort not only connected with the spreading
and consolidation of the cult of the saint, but, moreover, connected to his pro-
motion together with other martyr saints, considered as examples of resistance
against the challenges that the Orthodox Albanians had to face during the Ot-
toman conquest, while examining the Islamization of the time.

40
M. D. Peyfuss, Shtypshkronja e Voskopojes, pp. 91-148. For an overview about the
circulation of the publications in Greek language, according to the topics and time peri-
ods, see X. r. IIaTptvO,ric;, Tot:U71v1K6 /31/3).io Karar71vwvpK0Kparla (1476-1820): 1ff,PIA11/ft:tc;
µa071µarwv, Ekcrcra;\oviKT]: A. II. 0., 1989, p. 35, according to which, during the 18 th century
the liturgical works (publications) accounted for about 50% of all publications in Greek lan-
guage (50% for the first half of the 18 th century and 42% for the second one).
41
M. D. Peyfuss, Shtypshkronja e Voskopojes, pp. 91-148. Cyrillomethodianum X, 1986.
MenoBcKw,MocKononcKu, 1996.
 Church services (akolouthia) in honor of St. John Vladimir. .. 89

,,

A'KOAoYei'·A
TOT" A'rfOT E'Nil.O'liOT BAl:IAE'.Cll:,

I _0 ·A·.· N -N -C>;\Y._
-. Tor .-,;AAIMll'POT'LU' 9ATMATOTPro-r-.

Tv:r..s/1,rc, 3'.:rci,~ mi -r,'iJ,,tnri.100 Kvet<

I' tl A'']IJ'_!C OT n , A n I('_ /

TOT" E'K TH"'l: llO'AW.:E NEOKA'l:TPOT.

lCal .,,-a.p ciu-rii nic ojlo'!!'Me,o,c,~~(>.~,),.ic
-n,i( ,,..,.·,t;>,,a6fflll( ,.,... 1r90019)(_o,u-·
, , r•ic i•oo!l'tida.. . '
Of Li"'1lza de' Supcriorl, & _Prinlkgio. _

I!.' N E T r H l: I N, ~x,j.

Fig. 2. Akolouthiae of St. John Vladimir,

printed in Venice in 1690 with the expenses
Fig. 1. Anonymous, St. John of Joann is Papas from Elbasan (Neocastron)
Vladimir, ca. 55 X 37 cm, late l?h -
early 1st1, century, tempera on wood,
Unknown provenance
[K. Giakoumis, 2016]

Fig. 3. Signature of Kosmas Mavroudes.

(APP - Scritture riferite nei Congressi:
Greci, v. 1 (1622-1700),f 123r-126v.

Fig. 4. Fragment from the Greek manuscript

of the Vitae of St. John the Vladimir.
State Library of Russia, f Viktor J.
Grigorovic, n° 167 (820) [Vasilka
Tupkova-Zai"mova, Byzance, 1979]
90 Andi Rembeci

d TON XAPiffiM XAPI'IrutYMON KAEOt,

e, cl
0 ATI
~ IlOAITErAN NEOKA'l:TPOT,
·. lCcai -roi~ ~oj~ lfl$.J~piY9'. t/llQ~""-0 :geiirch11•
:t:'*P"' i~ iweitt.
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fi11cu ,r~a,ro,., l(§ll. v,r~J.w.)(;01 J.tl -rlul -rrpE4SH«Jl'11:tC 1µ-
,rpoli)-1¥ ~ #ir;11 ®iii, ~cup&11ilC OH°IG 1'1l!I 'fl ilaw,.£1ioi,
"rii1Dtt ~1'•M . oo!ll'oio, 1»1/<JUt .i.ia~~,i JCM11'!i-10- ·
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~A.I.dVWOVV..13:W- · 'lliC:,

Fig. 5. Isabella Piccini, St. John Vladimir, Fig. 7. Foreword of Ioannis Papas from
1690, engraving [Akolouthia 1690] Elbasan (Neocastron) [Akolouthia 1690]

- 4 __ 2 ,_

Tb ;OYBAAAIMHIDY inANffOY
'.tfNAKTO~ - ~EnTd.N · ~I<MNO~ •
___,.-A4. .,,,- -=-'-""- ._- _---, ~ ,.. __
. . .... ..- ~ "' ?:"'. _:;;•i- - ~:

Fig. 6. Isabella Piccini,

Reliquary of St. John
Vladimir, 1690, engraving
[Akolouthia 1690}
 Church services (akolouthia) in honor of St. John Vladimir. .. 91

--------
X
T ci. -rrapopm -v1r<i,xl:f01 ;1E)l<r.J&JU110: E7rapco "lkC Du,a.
"IV ,a¥.
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JK'YOC f '1,9ad' iac , w.i-mc dv~"o!ojlllaa + -rrdvo1•ov v~
-n1~., iv «1 ,ts r•civvtt iv B"-~•Jlltj)tl , ~ ®cwµcl11ft'.Yli. <c
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f~~'m!C ffOll' ~ ,Yl)f<IJAl&ll'a.,

T E' A O l!.
Fig. 8. The last page of the Akolouthiae with the inscription [Akolouthia 1690}

Fig. 9. The Inscription at the Catha/icon of the Monastery of Saint John Vladimir
in their Original Setting [K. Giakoumis, 2015]
92 Andi Rembeci

s7..01J Toes imicms 1rcx11-fLd.xcxp:· ~0011 ·ai tl(L11civ11Tc,>Y (LETOC 1r660ti •

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7rd.11a.111e, ai 0eo.6xe fLE1cxlti11011Tcxs.

Fig. 10. L'.lavL~A - Daniel, the name of author through the

initial letters (acrostika) of each troparion

AKOA
TO)" APIOi EN.10:WT BAIIAE!lI,
KAI tIErAAOftlAPTTPOI

IDANN
'K\I
't"Jr~Ua« µh :-~ 8«,:i)'!J -t0i1 "t'~i-to~ K1>piov 'I6Xiwou n«~.«
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IOAl~IK.IOi APXIEPE!lI, J'PHPOPIOl" nronIENOT,
l!l!l\NO)" TZO'Y<l>K.A, K!lNITAI\Tli'iOi IiAIE!li'iOI,
A8ANA!IOT l!K!lBOi, PE!lPPIOi KAI ilOT IOANNOT
KPOTNITI, ,,., ;,"I"!"..,, KOPONA.

BK TO T E!.\HNIJUJ T T"'f001' P1+RIOY

" '11• l ,, 'fl)

Fig. 11. Akolouthiae of St. John

-11138
Vladimir, printed in Venice in 1858
 Church services (akolouthia) in honor of St. John Vladimir. .. 93

Fig. 12. St. John Vladimir, 1728, Church of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel,
Vithkuq, Korre (left). George & John Tsetiri, St. John Vladimir, 1795, Church of
St. Nicholas, wall painting, fresco, Vanaj, Lushnje (right) {K. Giakoumis, 2016]
94 Andi Rembeci

Bi B·Al -A'P l.O N

,
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Fig. 13. The title page of the first edition of Faith (1732)
Church services (akolouthia) in honor of St. John Vladimir... 95

Go,l,var

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RIPUSllCOF
MACEDONIA

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Fig. 14. Location of St. Vladimir's Artworks based on

K. Giakoumis, Typological Classification, 2016