Gospel manuscripts in Karamanlidika script of the 18th century from the Northern Black sea region in the fonds of the Institute of Manuscript of V. Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine

Abstract

The paper treats a number of unique relics of the literature of the Urums – Turkish speaking Greeks settled in the Ukrainian part of the Azov sea region since 1780. Detailed archeographic descriptions of two codices, used in liturgical service in the Greek churches of Crimea and Azov sea region during the 18th–19th centuries, are presented. The structure of both manuscripts is typical for the Greek Church Evagelistarions with Saturday-Sunday Gospel lessons, in this case in Urum dialect, written in Karamanlidika script. The first Gospel was written in 1743 in a Greek settlement Karakuba of Crimea. At the beginning of the 19th century it was placed into a luxurious binding and was used in the churches of Mariupol. The second codex was written after the migration of the Greeks to the Azov sea region. Its texts are practically identical to those of the Gospel dated to 1743, but they are based on a different phonetic approach, have another structure, and the memory recollections to the Saints are absent. Besides, the codex includes some additional lectures, if compared to the Gospel compiled in 1743.