Oktoih
Encyclopedia
Oktoih in English the Book of Psalms or Psalter
, is an incunabula printed in Cetinje
, Montenegro
in 1494. Oktoih is a book of liturgical hymns for singing in eight parts. It was printed in the Printing House of Crnojevići
by Đurađ IV Crnojević, an educated ruler of Montenegro (Then known as Zeta
) from 1490-1496. Two volumes from 1493 and 1494 are kept in the museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church
in Sarajevo
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
.http://www.staracrkva.org/muzej.htm
The book is the first printed Old Church Slavonic
and in general in Cyrillic book. The book had 5 volumes, of which two are known and were printed in Montenegro.
banners and initials are made in the spirit of the Renaissance with a trace of old manuscript traditions. In the beauty of its graphic it is considered to be at the same level as Venetian production at that time. The Central National Montenegrin Library "Đurđe Crnojević" (Cetinje
,) published 600 facsimiles of Oktoih, the first voice in 1987.
incunabula. It was printed in 1494. Its fragments have been preserved. The longest one contains 37 pages. What makes this incunabula special are six woodcut
illustrations. The artist who made them managed to put rather complex compositions with many characters on a relatively small space.
Psalter
A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the later medieval emergence of the book of hours, psalters were the books most widely owned by wealthy lay persons and were...
, is an incunabula printed in Cetinje
Cetinje
Cetinje , Цетиње / Cetinje , Italian: Cettigne, Greek: Κετίγνη, Ketígni) is a town and Old Royal Capital of Montenegro. It is also a historical and the secondary capital of Montenegro , with the official residence of the President of Montenegro...
, Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
in 1494. Oktoih is a book of liturgical hymns for singing in eight parts. It was printed in the Printing House of Crnojevići
Printing House of Crnojevici
Printing House of Crnojevići is the first Balkan printing house; the facility operated between 1493 and 1496 in Cetinje, Montenegro.It was founded by Đurađ IV Crnojević, the ruler of the Principality of Zeta between 1490 and 1496. The printing press was operated by orthodox monks led by hieromonk...
by Đurađ IV Crnojević, an educated ruler of Montenegro (Then known as Zeta
Principality of Zeta
Zeta was a medieval state, which territory encompassed parts of present-day Montenegro and Northernwestern Albania. From 1360. to 1421. Zeta was independent state administered by local noble family Balšić. From 1185. to 1360. and from 1421. - 1451, Zeta was province of medieval Serbia...
) from 1490-1496. Two volumes from 1493 and 1494 are kept in the museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
.http://www.staracrkva.org/muzej.htm
The book is the first printed Old Church Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic or Old Church Slavic was the first literary Slavic language, first developed by the 9th century Byzantine Greek missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius who were credited with standardizing the language and using it for translating the Bible and other Ancient Greek...
and in general in Cyrillic book. The book had 5 volumes, of which two are known and were printed in Montenegro.
Oktoih Prvoglasnik
Oktoih, the first voice (Oktoih prvoglasnik) was the first printed book using Cyrillic script. It was printed on January 17, 1494. 108 copies of this book survive. It contains 538 pages sized 29 x 21.6 cm. It is characterized by high quality and clean two-coloured printing, red and black, with nicely shaped letters and well placed banners and initials. These woodcutWoodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
banners and initials are made in the spirit of the Renaissance with a trace of old manuscript traditions. In the beauty of its graphic it is considered to be at the same level as Venetian production at that time. The Central National Montenegrin Library "Đurđe Crnojević" (Cetinje
Cetinje
Cetinje , Цетиње / Cetinje , Italian: Cettigne, Greek: Κετίγνη, Ketígni) is a town and Old Royal Capital of Montenegro. It is also a historical and the secondary capital of Montenegro , with the official residence of the President of Montenegro...
,) published 600 facsimiles of Oktoih, the first voice in 1987.
Oktoih Petoglasnik
Oktoih, the fifth voice (Oktoih petoglasnik) represents the first illustrated South SlavicSouth Slavic languages
The South Slavic languages comprise one of three branches of the Slavic languages. There are approximately 30 million speakers, mainly in the Balkans. These are separated geographically from speakers of the other two Slavic branches by a belt of German, Hungarian and Romanian speakers...
incunabula. It was printed in 1494. Its fragments have been preserved. The longest one contains 37 pages. What makes this incunabula special are six woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
illustrations. The artist who made them managed to put rather complex compositions with many characters on a relatively small space.