Our Notes & References

First Romanian edition, with new, original verses and complete with its five striking full-page engravings “introducing new or rarely encountered themes into early Romanian book illustration” (Tatay, our translation here and below).

Very rare with OCLC locating only two holdings, both in Romania (Central University Library in Cluj-Napoca and Mihai Eminescu University Library in Iași), to which we can add at least another copy, at The Library of the Romanian Academy in Iași. No copies traced through the market outside Romania, with only one there at auction, heavily trimmed.

“Among the books to emerge from the presses of Brașov, Door of Repentance holds a distinct place, both for its content and for its graphic art” (Tatay). The principal contributor to this edition was the little-known monk Rafail of the important Orthodox Monastery of Neamț (in present-day north-eastern Romania), who served simultaneously as translator, editor, author of supplementary verses, and engraver of the book’s extraordinary five full-page plates, three of which bear his signature. The themes and imagery of most of these illustrations appear to have no precedent in earlier Romanian iconography, as in the plates depicting Death, God’s Angel, and Hell (Tatay). “To our knowledge, apart from the New Testament issued at Neamț Monastery in 1818 and the Life of Saint Basil the New printed in Bucharest in 1819, there are no other known engraved depictions of the Last Judgement in old Romanian books” (ibid).

“God’s Angel” (identified by Tatay as the Archangel Michael) is depicted standing upon a sphere inscribed with the Greek word for “eternity.” To his right is “the new man” being led to heaven by an angel; to his left is “the man of the past,” a sinner with a lute symbolising an idle life, guarded by a demon beneath a sinister flash of lightning. The Archangel holds a laurel wreath for the redeemed man and a flaming sword for the sinner. The engraving titled “Death” portrays a skeleton wielding a scythe, with a winged crown topped by an hourglass. Beneath, a diverse assembly—young and old, men and women, rich and poor—gathers, among them a figure in high ecclesiastical regalia and several already dead, a crown lying beside one of them. The inscription warns: “You [also] shall surely die.”

The illustration of the Last Judgement shows Christ ascending through the clouds. At his side stands Mary—unusually unveiled, her short hair and somewhat masculine features revealed—the only figure beside Christ to have a halo. Below are the redeemed and the damned, the latter driven into hell by a demon. In the foreground, a woman in flames tears at her hair, while opposite her a saved man rises from the grave. The caption reads: “Come, you who are blessed” and “Depart from me, you who are cursed.”

The next plate, inscribed “They perished for their transgression. Psalm 72”, depicts hell, where the devil—almost nude, with exaggerated facial features and elongated pointed ears—rides a grotesque head whose mouth reveals eternal flames. The devil is shown with large wings, a single horn upon his forehead, and snakes writhing from the back of his head. In his hands he holds a brazier and a burning torch, instruments intended to intensify the torment of sinners. Around him, other creatures with serpentine tails scurry in chaos. In contrast, the following plate portrays Paradise: a great host of angels, some playing musical instruments, exalting the Holy Trinity, represented as a geometric triangle encircled by beams of light.

Each of these plates introduces a chapter on its respective subject, offering moral instruction and vivid prophecies drawn from the Gospels and the Psalms of David, intended to inspire the reader towards mindful reflection and the pursuit of a righteous life. The aim is to become a “new man” in Christ after having been an “old man” in Adam, echoing Saul’s transformation into Paul.

Of unclear authorship, this compilation of theological writings was first published in Venice a few years before, in Greek, as Thyra tes metanoias… [Door of Repentance… Composed before by a Wise Man, but Now Embellished and Carefully Corrected with the Assistance of the Skete of St Demetrius on Mount Athos] (Nikolaos Glykys, Venice, 1795 and 1806). The edition included the same illustrations, though accompanied by Greek captions.

This first Romanian edition was made possible “for the eternal memory and for the common benefit of Orthodox Christians” through the patronage of Metropolitan Dositei (1734-1826) and the sponsorship of the merchant brothers Constantin and Ioan Boghici of Brașov, “zealous promoters of national culture” (Tatay).

For this edition, Rafail composed an extensive dedicatory poem to Metropolitan Dositei, translated the introductory Greek verses preserving their original rhythm, and wrote a five-stanza epilogue in which he anticipated possible printing errors and apologised to the reader in advance—an unusually elaborate alternative to the brief notes typically used at the time. The volume also contains a hagiography of Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria in the 5th century, which appears to be absent from the Greek original.

An interesting addition at the end of the volume is the list of individuals who assisted in the printing of this publication. Alongside Metropolitan Dositei, it names other prominent ecclesiastical figures, including Costandie Filitti, Bishop of Buzău, and Iosif Sevastias, Bishop of Argeș, as well as the noblewoman Zoița Băneasa Brâncoveanca; the Wallachian statesman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Răducanul Golescu; the boyar Barbu Văcărescu; and the doctor Constantin Darvari.

Provenance

Maria Hagi Velicu 1901 (lettered in gilt at spine foot).

Bibliography

Tatay, Anca Elisabeta, Tatai-Baltă, Cornel. “Gravurile insolite ale lui Rafail Monah din cartea „Ușa pocăinţei”, Brașov, 1812″// Sargetia. Acta Musei Devensis (#11), 2020, Editura Altip, pp. 365-384.