A Late 14th-Century Byzantine Euchologion Finds a Home at Holy Cross
Hellenic College Holy Cross (HCHC) has announced the acquisition of a remarkable medieval Greek manuscript for the Archbishop Iakovos Library and Learning Resource Center. The manuscript, formally presented on the evening of September 13th during the school's official Convocation, was handed over by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America to Menios Papadimitriou, the newly appointed Director of the Archbishop Iakovos Library.
The manuscript is a late 14th-century Euchologion, a liturgical prayer book of the Orthodox Church. Based on initial research, it was most likely produced in Constantinople or Thrace. Running to nearly 400 pages, it gathers texts written by several different hands, and includes prayers, decorative elements, and marginal notes.
These features offer a glimpse into the literary and scribal traditions of the Byzantine world, since manuscripts of this kind often reflect the working practices of scribes and the liturgical life of the communities that used them.
The acquisition was made possible through the efforts of Fr. Bartholomew Mercado, who serves as Interim Dean of Students, Professor of Canon Law, and Holy Cross Chaplain. His work brought the manuscript into the HCHC collection, where it will now serve both formation and scholarship.
The significance of the addition lies in what it makes possible: students and visiting academics will be able to work directly with an original medieval text rather than a reproduction, conducting hands-on research in paleography, liturgics, Byzantine history, and manuscript studies. For a seminary and college rooted in the Greek Orthodox tradition, holding a surviving Euchologion from the late Byzantine period connects contemporary theological education with the living liturgical inheritance it studies.
The announcement closes with anticipation for the learning and discovery the manuscript will enable, and notes those present at the presentation: Fr. Bartholomew Mercado, Hillary Rogler (Assistant Director of the Library), and Menios Papadimitriou.
Main points
- HCHC acquired a late 14th-century Euchologion, likely produced in Constantinople or Thrace.
- Archbishop Elpidophoros formally presented the manuscript at the September 13th Convocation to new library director Menios Papadimitriou.
- The nearly 400-page manuscript contains texts by multiple hands, with prayers, decoration, and marginal notes from the Byzantine world.
- Fr. Bartholomew Mercado's efforts made the acquisition possible.
- Students and scholars will now be able to research an original medieval text directly.