Programme of the Advanced Summer Course ‘Byzantine Epigraphy in situ’Nessebăr, Bulgaria, 12-15 September 2023
11 September, Monday
Arrival of the participants via Sofia and Burgas, accommodation in Nessebăr, dinner at the hotel.
12 September, Tuesday
9:30-10:00 am – Greetings from the host institutions
10:00-11:00 am – Welcome lecture Messembria – Misivri – Nessebăr – historical context, culture and arts (Emmanuel Moutafov)
11:30-12:30 pm – Guided tour at the Nessebăr Archeological Museum (local guide and instructors)
12:30-14:30 pm – Lunch break
14:30-15:00 pm – Lecture on Byzantine Church Architecture (Georgios Pallis)
15:30-17:30 pm – Tour at the churches of St John Aleitourgetos, Christ Pantokrator, St Sophia (Old Metropolis), St John the Baptist, Thermae, fortification walls, towers, etc. (Georgios Pallis and Antonio Enrico Felle)*
13 September, Wednesday
10:00-11:00 am – Introduction to Byzantine Epigraphy – History of the discipline, current challenges, current research, tools and databases (Ida Toth and Andreas Rhoby)
11:00-12:30 pm – Class of reading Greek texts – Reading the inscription on the tomb of Matthaisa Kantakouzena Palaeologina and other Greek inscriptions from late Antiquity, the Byzantine and Ottoman period (Ida Toth, Antonio Enrico Felle and Andreas Rhoby)
12:30-14:30 pm – Lunch break
14:30-16:00 pm – Visit and work on the inscriptions of St Spas church in Nessebăr (Emmanuel Moutafov)
14 September, Thursday
10:00-11:00 am – Liturgy, Church Spaces, Iconography and Texts – The inscriptional world within the world of sacred images (Georgios Pallis)
11:00-12:30 pm – Visit and work on the inscriptions of St Stephen church (New Metropolis) in Nessebăr (Emmanuel Moutafov)
12:30-14:30 pm – Lunch break
14:30-17:30 pm – Visit of the late antique fortress of St Athanasius in Byala with Early Christian baptisterium, altar screens, 6th century golden ring, Greek inscriptions, etc. (local archaeologist and Antonio Enrico Felle)
15 September, Friday
10:00-10:30 am – The Theotokos Eleousa Icon of Messembria and its Inscriptions (Andreas Rhoby)
10:30-11:00 am – The Post-Byzantine Metrical Inscriptions in Bulgaria and Beyond (16th-19th c.) (Andreas Rhoby)
11:00-12:30 pm – Visit and work at the Sts Theodoroi church in Nessebăr, graffiti, monograms, and at the functioning church of Virgin Mary in Nessebăr (Georgios Pallis)
12:30-14:30 pm – Lunch break
14:30-17:30 pm – Tour to the city of Sozopol (ancient Apollonia), Archeological Museum, Virgin Mary church (15th century), etc. (local guide, all instructors)
16 September, Saturday
09:00 am – Departure of the participants via Burgas to Sofia
- Some evening events related to the local communities and business will be announced separately.
