Domsa Károlyné, Fekete Gézáné, Kovács Mária (szerk.): Gondolatok a könyvtárban / Thoughts in the Library (A MTAK közleményei 30. Budapest, 1992)
KÖNYVTÁR ÉS HAGYOMÁNY – LIBRARY AND TRADITION
Romanian typography for Georgia name of Antim. Sold in Constantinople he was ransomed, as it seems, by the oecumenical patriarchate in circumstances still time-clouded. It was there that Constantin Brincoveanu found him, being highly recommended as outstandingly gifted for sculpture and needlework. Brought to Wallachia during 1689-1690 he turned monk at the Bucharest Bishopric and learned the printing art from Bishop Mitrofan, the chief of the Bishopric's Typography, who had printed in 1688 the first complete version of the Bible in Romanian. In 1691 Antim who called himself Ivireanul, in memory of his native land, printed the first book in Greek, followed by others both in Greek and Romanian, some of them exhibiting a remarkable printing art. Nevertheless, a couple of years later, in 1694, Antim was leaving the capital city to set up, on an isle on Snagov Lake, in the cells of the Monastery with the same name, a big typography, able to print books in Romanian, Greek, Paleo-Slavonic and Arabic. Making printing machines himself, Antim will endow other regions as well with such equipment, including Antiochia, the Syrian Capital and the seat of an Arab-speaking patriarch. In 1705 Antim was elected Bishop of Rimnic and in 1708 he was elected Arch-Bishop of Wallachia, still never forgetting the typographic art that had been developing and was competing with Venetian bookmaking, thus spreading Greek books in all Mediterranean Countries. One of the first measures taken by Antim as spiritual leader of Wallachia was to send to Georgia an entire typography (incl. machines and typographers). His action has to be related to the request of King Vahtang IV addressed to Prince Constantin Brincoveanu, whose fame as an art supporter had been widely spread throughout the entire Eastern Christian world. One may presume that the Georgian King was aware of the typographic achievements of his country-man, since, otherwise, King Vahtang might have sought elsewhere means and people to develop culture by typography in Georgia. Antim Ivireanul sent then to Tiflis, Georgia's capital, his most skilled typographer, Deacon Mihail Stefanovici who enjoyed the Arch-Bishop's full confidence and had successfully fulfilled similar tasks at a time when Antim had been a priest-monk. Scarce is all information about Mihail Stefanovici. Certain scholars allege he came from Transylvania, allegation that might be true on account of his involvement in the culture of Romanians living beyond the Carpathian Chain. One thing is for sure, namely that he learned the typographic art from Antim when he was still in Bucharest. His name was engraved for the first time on February 6th, 1696 on the front of The Mass for Saints Constantin and Elena printed in Romanian and Slavonic, at Snagov. Here, Mihail Stefanovici also signs a commendatory foreword for Constantin Brincoveanu, laying due stress on the care and tutorship Gondolatok a könyvt á rban " 97
