UNE CONGREGATION CATHOLIQUE FEMININE A SALONIQUE OTTOMANE ET LES BULGARES
Etudes balkaniques (Sofia) 2022 N 2
Raїa Zaїmova
Institute of Balkan Studies & Centre of Thracology
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Bulgaria
Abstract: The present article looks briefly at the history of the Roman Catholic Congregation (the Daughters of Charity of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul) who proclaim the Gospel among the Levantine peoples. The religious institute of women devoted to active charitable work. They settled in Ottoman Salonica around the 1850s. Their activities were closely linked to those of the Lazarists, depending on the same superior of the Mission. Referring to the French archives of their house in Salonica and personal documents, the author briefly presents the objectives of their mission, which, until 1913, was facilitated by the Franco-Ottoman capitulations. The schools of Daughters of Charity were attended by children of different nations, including Bulgarians. The text is an initial attempt to study the schools of the women’s congregations in the Balkans.
Keywords: Daughters of Charity, Women Education, Salonica, Modernization of Ottoman Empire, Bulgarian Uniates
LES AGENTS DIPLOMATIQUES DE FRANCE ET LES ÉTUDES SUD-EST EUROPÉENNES
Raïa Zaïmova
Institut d’Études balkaniques & Centre de Thracologie,
(Académie bulgare des sciences)
The French Diplomatic Agents and the South-East European Studies
Abstract: The text reviews newly-retrieved documents of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the 1960s. They treat the Balkan theme in the context of the European communications. The information gathered by the French diplomats reflects the inter-Balkan relations during those years. The emphasis falls on the attempts for starting a dialogue between the Balkan countries, establishing contacts in various scientific fields, founding the Institute of Balkan Studies in Sofia and the First International Congress of South-East European Studies in 1966. There are brief reviews of the activities of some politicians (Ivan Bachev) and researchers (Nikolay Todorov, Emile Condouraki, Vassilka Tăpkova – Zaïmova), who have contributed to these emerging processes, as well as the role of Sofia for the good neighbourly relations. The additional material from the home archives of the author sheds light on particular segments of the resonance of the French policy in Bulgaria.
Keywords: France, European politics, Balkans, First International Congress of South-East European Studies
QUELQUES TRAITS DES RAPPORTS LAZARISTES – BULGARES-UNIS A SALONIQUE OTTOMANE
Raïa Zaïmova,
Institut d’Études balkaniques & Centre de Thracologie
Some remarks about the relations between the Lazarists and Uniate Bulgarians in Ottoman Thessaloniki
Abstract: The study is mostly based on documents from the Archives of Congregation of the Mission. The beginning of the Catholic missions in Thessaloniki is traced and especially those of Congregation of the Mission, which replaced the Jesuits (1782-1783). Special attention is paid on the relations between foreign missions and the Bulgarians who accepted Pope’s supremacy, known as Uniates. The objects of research are the first Bulgarian bishops Nil Izvorov, Lazar Mladenov and Epiphane Scanoff, whose administrative activities are directly dependent upon the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide and the Ottoman authorities. The French-Ottoman Capitulations (until 1913) aid the Catholic missions but do not influence denomination changes among the Bulgarians. These changes depend on the Exarchate’s actions and on the agents of the Patriarchate, who are very often sent by Russia, “the protector of the Balkan Christians”. The Ottoman authorities involve only in cases when the Christian communities seek solutions to administrative issues or need support in conflicts inside the respective community.
Keywords: Catholic Missions, Ottoman Authorities, Unionism, Salonika, Bulgarian Bishops