Manuscript collection kept in the Center for Slavo-Byzantine Studies “Prof. Ivan Dujčev” represents all written traditions of the Balkans in the broad chronological range from the 9th to the 19th century.
This manuscript heritage includes the largest collection of Greek manuscripts in Bulgaria (460 in total), 126 Slavic manuscripts, and over 250 Oriental (Turkish and Arabic) codices and fragments.
The Greek parchment manuscripts are more than 200. A “codex unicus” is kept in the library. This is the Gospel Lectionary, written by the scribe Anastatios with a two full-length miniatures of the evangelists from the end of the 9th c. Many of the manuscripts are of Constantinople origin and represent the socalled Bluetenblattstil, which is the style of luxury manuscripts for emperors and patriarchs. There are manuscripts in Laubsagelstill and also many codices with a musical notation. A manuscript made of palimpsest sheets of parchment is stored in the collection. The earlier lower layer of the late 9th c., contains the earliest version of the menaion. Other manuscripts, attracting the attention of researchers are Physiologist with illustrations (a copy from the 17th c.) and an illustrated copy of the Prophecies of Leo the Wise from the 16th century.
The personal collection of Oriental manuscripts of Prof. Ivan Dujcev, has been digitalized and is accessible both in situ and online. The photo archive of Prof. Asen Vasiliev containing some 4000 items (cultural-historical monuments photographed between WWI and WWII) has also been digitized and accessible to interested researchers.