Paisiy Hilendarski manuscript returned to Zograf Monastery

The historical manuscript ‘Istoriya Slavyanobulgarska’ by Paisiy Hilendarski was anonymously donated to the National Historical Museum of Bulgaria on September 13, 1996. Experts from the St. St. Cyril and Methodius National Library confirmed the document as an original manuscript by the author, which had been discovered at the Zograf Monastery in 1906.

The manuscript's presence in Bulgaria was the subject of a long-standing controversy. It was secretly removed from the Zograf Monastery on Mount Athos in 1988 during an operation codenamed ‘Marathon’ and was held by Bulgarian intelligence for eight years. Following a dispute regarding its ownership, Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov and the Ministry of Culture decided in 1997 that the manuscript should be returned to its original location.

On January 12, 1998, a formal ceremony was held to return the manuscript to the Zograf Monastery. The handover involved the Director of the National Historical Museum, Bozhidar Dimitrov, and Archimandrite Ambrosy, the Abbot of the Zograf Monastery. The event was attended by President Petar Stoyanov, Minister of Culture Emma Moskova, and Prosecutor General Ivan Tatarchev.