Antun Mihanović i Svetogorska legenda

Abstract

Sava Hilandarac, monk and librarian of the Hilendar monastery, in his book “The History and Description of Hilendar”, accuses the Croatian poet, Antun Mihanović that in the course of 1840, on occasion of his visit to Mount Athos, requested from the Hilendar monks to allow him access to the old manuscripts, and he never returned them. Although this accusation was wholly refuted by Vladimir Mošin, still the fact remains that Mihanović, if not on Mount Athos, but in Macedonia, did take possession of some monastery manuscripts in a manner that cannot be depicted as being honourable. His contemporaries bear witness to this, in particular the Macedonian educator and writer, Jordan Hadži Konstantinov-Đinot, who in several places in his discussions and accounts on his travels, emphasizes Mihanović as an usurper of the Macedonian cultural heritage. The accusations against Mihanović call for a reply to the question, did he sometimes “dishonorably”, collecting the literary and historical records, help or hinder the Macedonian, Serbian and Bulgarian literary heritage? The author of this article holds that, if we take into consideration the unbearable situation and for manuscripts the dangerous climate that prevailed at that time in the southern parts of the Balkans, Mihanović's efforts as a collector, regardless of his methods, was in essence for a purpose that was noble, useful, fruitful and sublime.