Teodosiy Sinaitski
Encyclopedia
Theodosius of Sinai was a Bulgarian priest, writer and printer
. He founded the first Bulgarian printing-house
in Thesaloniki. Theodosius of Sinai is considered a Macedonian in the Republic of Macedonia
.
Teodosius was born in the late 18'th c. in the town of Dojran
, Ottoman Empire
(today in the Republic of Macedonia
). His birth name was Teohar . After he had finished Greek (language) school in Istanbul
, Teohar went back to Dojran
, where he got married and was later ordained a priest. The death of his wife however drove him into a pilgrimage to the Holy Land
. In 1828 Teohar became a monk in Saint Catherine's Monastery
and there he adopted the monastic name Teodosiues (Theodosiy in Bulgarian).
After returning to the Balkans, Theodosius was appointed a priest in "St. Minas" church in Thesaloniki in 1831. While in Thesaloniki, he established the firsts printing house in Bulgarian (language) in 1838. Theodosius used the movable type printing press of Daskal Kamche from Vatasha. The moveable types of the press were crafted by a Russian immigrant type-founder. The first books, typed in Teodosius's printing house, were "Primary study through Slavonic-Bulgarian and Greek Orthodox morning prayers" („Началное учение с молитви утренния славяноболгарский и греческия“) and "Jewish ceremony and all of the harms, they've done" - an anti-Semitic lampoon
, which was initially translated "to simple and plain Bulgarian language" by Nathanael Ohridski
. In 1839 Teodosius typed his own "A Brief description of twenty monasteries that are situated in the Holly Mount Athos
".
In 1839 Teodosius' printing-house was burned down, but it was soon restored with the finansical support of Kiril Peychinovich
. Peychinovich's book Utesheniе Greshnim ("Solace of the sinner") was typed in the restored printing-house in 1840. Teodosius wrote аn introduction to the book, where he mentioned that the book was written by Kiril Peychinovich
into "...the plainest Bulgarian language, spoken in Lower Moesia
, and the region of Skopie and Tetovo...". There Teodosius also praised the Bulgarian language and compared it to a key, which can unlock the heart of the Bulgarian nation for the light of the truth.
In 1841 Teodosius typed a book, called "A book for studying three languages - Slavonic-Bulgarian, Greek and Karamanlian". The book was a Bulgarian
-Greek-Turkish
dictionary
, designed to be of use for merchants.
In 1843 a fire destroyed Teodosius's printing house for a second and final time. Theodosius returned to Dojran, where he began working as a miller
in his sons' water-mill. According to Arseniy Kostentsev, the usable remains of Theodosius' printing press were taken to the village of Vataša
. Theodosius died in an accident in March 1843. He was killed by a collapsed roof.
Nine years after Theodosius' death, the brothers Kiryak and Konstantin Darzhilovi opened a new Bulgarian-language printing press in Thessaloniki.
Printer (publisher)
In publishing, printers are both companies providing printing services and individuals who directly operate printing presses. With the invention of the moveable type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg around 1450, printing—and printers—proliferated throughout Europe.Today, printers are found...
. He founded the first Bulgarian printing-house
Printer (publisher)
In publishing, printers are both companies providing printing services and individuals who directly operate printing presses. With the invention of the moveable type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg around 1450, printing—and printers—proliferated throughout Europe.Today, printers are found...
in Thesaloniki. Theodosius of Sinai is considered a Macedonian in the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
.
Dojran
Dojran was a city located on the western shore of Dojran Lake in the south-eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia. Today, it is collective name for two villages that exist on the territory of the ruined city: Nov Dojran and Star Dojran, which contains both old ruins and recent construction,...
, Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
(today in the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
). His birth name was Teohar . After he had finished Greek (language) school in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Teohar went back to Dojran
Dojran
Dojran was a city located on the western shore of Dojran Lake in the south-eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia. Today, it is collective name for two villages that exist on the territory of the ruined city: Nov Dojran and Star Dojran, which contains both old ruins and recent construction,...
, where he got married and was later ordained a priest. The death of his wife however drove him into a pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
. In 1828 Teohar became a monk in Saint Catherine's Monastery
Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai
Saint Catherine's Monastery lies on the Sinai Peninsula, at the mouth of a gorge at the foot of Mount Sinai in the city of Saint Catherine in Egypt's South Sinai Governorate. The monastery is Orthodox and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site...
and there he adopted the monastic name Teodosiues (Theodosiy in Bulgarian).
After returning to the Balkans, Theodosius was appointed a priest in "St. Minas" church in Thesaloniki in 1831. While in Thesaloniki, he established the firsts printing house in Bulgarian (language) in 1838. Theodosius used the movable type printing press of Daskal Kamche from Vatasha. The moveable types of the press were crafted by a Russian immigrant type-founder. The first books, typed in Teodosius's printing house, were "Primary study through Slavonic-Bulgarian and Greek Orthodox morning prayers" („Началное учение с молитви утренния славяноболгарский и греческия“) and "Jewish ceremony and all of the harms, they've done" - an anti-Semitic lampoon
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
, which was initially translated "to simple and plain Bulgarian language" by Nathanael Ohridski
Nathanael Ohridski
Nathanael of Ohrid , Nathanael of Plovdiv or Nathanael Zografski, born Nesho Stanov Boykikev; was a Bulgarian cleric, writer and revolutionary from Macedonia, one of the first supporters of literature in modern Bulgarian and one of the early...
. In 1839 Teodosius typed his own "A Brief description of twenty monasteries that are situated in the Holly Mount Athos
Mount Athos
Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. A World Heritage Site, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the...
".
Kiril Peychinovich
Kiril Peychinovich or Kiril Pejčinoviḱ was a cleric, writer and enlightener, one of the first supporters of the use of modern Bulgarian in literature , and one of the early figures of the Bulgarian National Revival...
. Peychinovich's book Utesheniе Greshnim ("Solace of the sinner") was typed in the restored printing-house in 1840. Teodosius wrote аn introduction to the book, where he mentioned that the book was written by Kiril Peychinovich
Kiril Peychinovich
Kiril Peychinovich or Kiril Pejčinoviḱ was a cleric, writer and enlightener, one of the first supporters of the use of modern Bulgarian in literature , and one of the early figures of the Bulgarian National Revival...
into "...the plainest Bulgarian language, spoken in Lower Moesia
Moesia
Moesia was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans, along the south bank of the Danube River. It included territories of modern-day Southern Serbia , Northern Republic of Macedonia, Northern Bulgaria, Romanian Dobrudja, Southern Moldova, and Budjak .-History:In ancient...
, and the region of Skopie and Tetovo...". There Teodosius also praised the Bulgarian language and compared it to a key, which can unlock the heart of the Bulgarian nation for the light of the truth.
In 1841 Teodosius typed a book, called "A book for studying three languages - Slavonic-Bulgarian, Greek and Karamanlian". The book was a Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
-Greek-Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
dictionary
Dictionary
A dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...
, designed to be of use for merchants.
In 1843 a fire destroyed Teodosius's printing house for a second and final time. Theodosius returned to Dojran, where he began working as a miller
Miller
A miller usually refers to a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a cereal crop to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents in other languages around the world...
in his sons' water-mill. According to Arseniy Kostentsev, the usable remains of Theodosius' printing press were taken to the village of Vataša
Kavadarci municipality
Kavadarci is a municipality in southern Republic of Macedonia. Kavadarci is also the name of the town where the municipal seat is found. Kavadarci Municipality is part of the Vardar Statistical Region.-Geography:...
. Theodosius died in an accident in March 1843. He was killed by a collapsed roof.
Nine years after Theodosius' death, the brothers Kiryak and Konstantin Darzhilovi opened a new Bulgarian-language printing press in Thessaloniki.