Copy Book Archive

The Beautiful Side of the Picture Heathen prince Boris I of Bulgaria (r. 852–889) commissioned St Methodius to paint an impressive scene for his palace walls.

In two parts

852-889
Music: Nikolai Medtner

© Valeria23, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0 Romania. Source

About this picture …

The Monastery of St George at Voroneț (Voronets) in Romania was completed in 1488 on the orders of Stephen the Great of Moldavia. On the exterior of the west wall there is a vast fresco of the Last Judgment, with ‘the beautiful side’ of the picture to the left. Sadly, there must always be another side — for there are those who, in Milton’s words, think it ‘Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven!’

The Beautiful Side of the Picture

Part 1 of 2

St Methodius (815-885) and his younger brother St Cyril (826-869) were Slavs from Thessalonica who brought the Christian gospel to Eastern Europe. In 864, Boris I, King of the Bulgarians (r. 852-889), abandoned his heathen beliefs and was baptised, and according to 11th-century Byzantine chronicler John Skylitzes, Methodius was behind Boris’s change of heart.
Abridged

BORIS [King of Bulgaria] had a sister, who was a Christian, having been brought up at Constantinople, whither she had been carried captive.* The prince, who was passionately fond of hunting, desired the Emperor* to procure him a picture, which should illustrate his favourite pursuit, and adorn the hall of a new palace he had erected. Methodius was commissioned by the Emperor to execute this task, and he appeared before king Boris, not as a missionary, but as a painter.

“Let it be a good picture,” said the prince, “large and terrible.” “So shall it be,” answered Methodius, “but one thing I demand, — that I may be left undisturbed here to complete my picture, that no one may see it till it is finished.” The king reluctantly gave his consent, and day after day passed, and the painter was not seen. He remained closely shut up within the palace. Weeks rolled by, and Boris chafed with impatience and curiosity.

Jump to Part 2

* Anna, Boris’s half-sister. She had been taken captive by the Roman Empire in a raid on Bulgaria some years earlier, and held in the capital, Constantinople. The conditions of her captivity were gentle: she was carefully educated, and chose willingly to became a Christian. She was subsequently exchanged for the Greek monk Theodoros Koupharas, a long-time prisoner of the Bulgarians who had made several converts himself. Skylitzes tells us that Anna and monk Theodore had both encouraged Boris to take an interest in Christianity, and that a famine had abated after he called on the Christian God for help; but it was the episode with Methodius that finally decided him. Boris christened his youngest daughter Anna.

* Roman Emperor Michael III, who ruled from 842 to 867.

Précis

Boris I, King of Bulgaria, asked the Roman Emperor to recommend an artist to decorate his new palace with a huge mural. The subject was to be The Hunt, a nod to his favourite pastime. The job was given to Methodius, who agreed to paint the scene so long as no one asked to see it until it was finished. (60 / 60 words)

Part Two

Via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain. Source

About this picture …

A page from the ‘Madrid Skylitzes’, a 12th-century copy of the ‘Synopsis of Histories’ by Byzantine historian John Skylitzes (?1040s-1101+). It was from Skylitzes’s account that Sabine Baring-Gould took his tale of Boris and Methodius. The drawing shows Boris I of Bulgaria being baptised in 864, as a consequence of Methodius’s fresco. He took the Christian name Michael, in honour of the Roman Emperor Michael III (r. 842-867) who had furnished him with bishops for the purpose. Boris resigned his crown in 889, and retired to a monastery.

AT length the doors were thrown open, and the king entered. Methodius had painted the Last Judgment on the wall of the new hall. Above sat Christ on the great white throne, and below were men receiving sentence, and the angels dividing them. An awe and wonder fell on the king’s heart as he contemplated the picture.

“What meaneth this?” he asked. And Methodius seized the opportunity of preaching to him righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come. He explained to the king the whole doctrine of the final judgment of men, their fate depending on their works in this world, and the king trembled. He went on to speak of the glories prepared for the baptized who keep the faith. Great and purifying thoughts swelled the bosom of the prince, and going up to the painter, he said, with his head bowed, “Take me, and teach me, that I too may pass to the beautiful side of the picture.”

Copy Book

Précis

When the picture was complete, Boris was allowed to see it. He was astonished to find not The Hunt but The Last Judgment; but curiosity got the better of him, and he quizzed Methodius about everything he could see in it. Methodius delighted to explain, and after hearing his exposition of the Christian gospel Boris asked to be baptised. (59 / 60 words)

Source

Abridged from ‘The Lives of the Saints’ Vol. 3 (March) by Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924). The story comes originally from ‘A Synopsis of Histories’ by John Skylitzes (?1040s-1101+).

Suggested Music

1 2

Fairy Tale Op. 20 No. 1 in B flat minor

Nikolai Medtner (1880-1956)

Performed by Boris Berezovsky.

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Fairy Tale Op. 20 No. 2 in B minor (‘La Campanella’)

Nikolai Medtner (1880-1956)

Performed by Daniil Trifonov.

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How To Use This Passage

You can use this passage to help improve your command of English.

IRead it aloud, twice or more. IISummarise it in one sentence of up to 30 words. IIISummarise it in one paragraph of 40-80 words. IVMake notes on the passage, and reconstruct the original from them later on. VJot down any unfamiliar words, and make your own sentences with them later. VIMake a note of any words that surprise or impress you, and ask yourself what meaning they add to the words you would have expected to see. VIITurn any old-fashioned English into modern English. VIIITurn prose into verse, and verse into prose. IXAsk yourself what the author is trying to get you to feel or think. XHow would an artist or a photographer capture the scene? XIHow would a movie director shoot it, or a composer write incidental music for it?

For these and more ideas, see How to Use The Copy Book.

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