A photographic survey revealed dozens of Bulgarian inscriptions in Greek Orthodox monasteries across Jerusalem’s Old City.
“The inscriptions were found on the walls of Greek Orthodox monasteries in the Old City of Jerusalem and its vicinity, dating from the Ottoman period,” explained the researchers Michael Chernin and Shai Halevi of the Israel Antiquities Authority explained.
The project utilized multispectral and RTI imaging to reveal faded markings.
“The corpus of graffiti allows us to reconstruct the history of Eastern Christianity in Ottoman-period Jerusalem,” the authors wrote, with a particular focus on tracing the “Bulgarian pilgrimage to Jerusalem over 500 years of Ottoman rule.”
The survey documented inscriptions in three major sites: the Monastery of Saints Theodoroi, the Monastery of the Forerunner (John Prodromos), and the Monastery of Saint Charalambos.
In the Monastery of Saints Theodoroi, one inscription reads: “Hadzhi Stoyko from Kotil. Year 1776” — identifying the town of Kotel, Bulgaria. The authors note Kotel’s significance: “From the seventeenth century, Kotel became a center of textile industry… The economic prosperity of the settlement resulted in many wealthy residents.”
Another reads: “Hadzhi Stan. Hadzhi Yovancho. Hadzhi Ivan(?). Hadzhi Filip. From (Ga)brovo. 1794”. Gabrovo is described as “one of the important centers of the ‘Bulgarian Renaissance’ movement.”
An inscription from Razlog records: “Hadzhi Nikola. Hadzhi Lasko. Hadzhi Valkan. Hadzhi Velyo. From Razlog”. The authors propose a connection: “We consider that this pilgrim may be identified with Hadzhi Valcho—a well-known figure in Bulgarian history of the eighteenth century.”
The survey also identified merchant symbols, with the authors explaining that “such symbols are known from tombstones and seals of Bulgarian merchants who conducted business in Buda, Vienna and Novi Sad (Serbia).”
At the Monastery of the Forerunner, inscriptions include: “Hadzhi Georgiy. 1842. from Kamenitsa. From the (Monastery) of St. George in Belashitsa. Hadzhi Constantine the Monk.” Another reads, “Hadzhi Mihail the priest from Istanbul.” The researchers explain that “throughout the Ottoman period, a large community of Bulgarians lived in Istanbul.”
In the Monastery of Saint Charalambos, a detailed 1874 inscription lists pilgrims from Stara Zagora and Orjahovo, including “Hadzhi Todor Koyuv and his children: Hadzhi Giorgi (and) Hadzhi Maria”. Another 1881 inscription records “Hadzhi Atanas from the kaza of Solun, from the village Negovan” — a settlement “considered one of the centers of Bulgarian nationalism in Macedonia.”
The survey highlights Bulgarian presence not only in monasteries but also in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. A notable 1854 inscription reads: “Netko from Koprivshtitsa.” The authors note that “Koprivshtitsa… enjoyed a special status: its residents were exempt from taxes… and Muslims were forbidden to live there.”
A 1780 inscription at the Holy Monastery of Abraham lists seven pilgrims from Svishtov, Bulgaria, including “Hadzhi Stoyan, the son of Hadzhi Petko… Hadzhi Ivan and Hadzhi Manchu (the sons) of Hadzhi Angel from Svishtov.”
“The mass pilgrimages of the town’s residents to the Holy Land continued even in the first half of the twentieth century, in the days of the British Mandate in Palestine,” the authors note.
The full research appears in ‘Atiqot Volume 116, providing rare insight into the centuries-old spiritual journey of Bulgarian Christians to Jerusalem.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.
