Knyaz Library

Behind its walls, this library holds countless volumes of learning waiting to be studied by scholars and clerics.

Chosen by his father, Boris I knyaz of Bulgaria , to become the future head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Simeon studied theology and Greek liturgy in Constantinople for over a decade. On his return home in 888 , he brought with him a huge collection of books that formed the basis of his library, and gathered together a group of Slavic scholars who had studied with him. At the time of his accession to the throne (893), an ambitious project was underway in the Balkans to translate Greek religious texts into Slavic language. The work was initiated by Cyril and Methodius after the invention of the Glagolitic alphabet in approximately 855, and was continued by their disciples, particularly in the sanctuaries of Velika and Ohrid. In his new capital of Preslav, knyaz Simeon built a huge library and convened scholars under the leadership of the bishop Clement of Ohrid. Under his rule, Slavic literature was developed, representing a golden age for Bulgarian letters.