The Institute of Balkan Studies & Centre of Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBSCT-BAS) is pleased to invite you to the public lecture of Kristiyan Kovachev, PhD (IBSCT-BAS) "Lamentation of the Virgin Mary: Verbal and Visual Images from the Medieval Balkans".

The event is organised under the initiative Every Second Tuesday and will be held on November 11, 2025 (Tuesday) at 15:30 in the IBSCT-BAS building (Moskovska Street No. 45).

We are looking forward to welcoming you!

Synopsis: The public lecture will be dedicated to the service "Lamentation of the Theotokos" ("Epitaph", "Grave Lament" or "Lamentation of Christ") - one of the most powerful liturgical texts preserved in the Orthodox tradition. The emergence and development of the service, its changes over the centuries and its place in the liturgical life of the Church will be traced. Special emphasis will be placed on the connection between the service, which is still performed on Good Friday today, and its visual reflections in iconography, in particular in the compositions "Descent from the Cross" and "Laying in the Tomb".