Summer School of Greek Palaeography and Byzantine Epigraphy

The Institute of Historical Research of the National Hellenic Research Foundation has organized two Summer Schools on Greek Palaeography and Byzantine Epigraphy, held in Patmos in July 2016 and 2017, in collaboration with the Monastery of St John the Theologian. These Summer Schools welcomed an international group of approximately twenty selected students specializing in Philology, History, Theology, and Classical, Byzantine, and Medieval Studies, at undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels. Participants attended intensive one-week courses in Greek palaeography and Byzantine epigraphy, complemented by seminar lectures on Byzantine diplomatics, manuscript illumination, and codex conservation.

The program aimed to equip students with fundamental skills for engaging with Greek manuscripts, documents, and inscriptions from the Byzantine and post-Byzantine periods in a research-oriented manner. Most sessions were held within the Monastery of Patmos, particularly in its renowned library and museum, offering participants an exceptional opportunity to study and work directly with primary material. This included access to a significant manuscript collection comprising approximately 1.200 codices, as well as images and inscriptions dating from the 12th to the 16th centuries. Additional courses were conducted at the Nikolaides Mansion in Chora, Patmos – a historic building dating to the 17th–18th centuries.

The courses were delivered in English and Italian. Instruction was provided by researchers of the Institute of Historical Research (Z. Melissakis, E. Drakopoulou [+], M. Gerolymatou, H. Brekoulaki), as well as by external collaborators (N. Melvani, A. Melianou), all of whom possess extensive experience in the aforementioned fields and actively participate in related research projects at the Monastery of Patmos under the auspices of the Institute.

In the future, the continuation of these Summer Schools is planned, hosted in other historic libraries across Greece.