On Sunday October 27th, 2013 the CMHS held a lecture at the East York Civic Centre. A 16th century Macedonian lexicon that was found at the Vatican archives was presented by professor Joseph Schallert a Slavic linguist from the University of Toronto and professor Kosta Peev (author of Lexicon of Macedonian Dialects of SE Aegean Macedonia). Lecture notes and documents of the event are presented below.      

A 16th century old Lexicon was discovered at the Archivum Secretum Vaticanum, the secret Vatican Library in the late 1940’s.
It is written using the Greek alphabet and it was thought for some time that it was a Greek language. However it could not be deciphered using Greek, and when read out it was discovered that the Language is Macedonian relating to the Old Kostur Dialect from the Aegean / Greek occupied Macedonia. Two University professors Ciro Giannelli, Andre Vaillant have written a book on the subject dated 1954 “Un Lexique Macedonien Du XVI Siecle.

Odyssey Belchevsky Director of Cultural Events:

This book presents solid proof amongst many others that the Macedonian Language had existed for many centuries prior to the creation of the Modern independent State of Macedonia. The initiative and inspiration for this important event came from our Honorable President of Macedonia, Mr.George Ivanov. During his visit to Canada earlier this year, He personally delivered to the Canadian Macedonian Historical Society a copy of the book based on the Vatican sources form 1954 “Un Lexique Macedonien Du XVI Siecle. We are grateful and proud as Macedonians and Canadians of Macedonian Heritage to have this book in our Society Library. 

                                                    Click to View professor Joseph Schallert  's Lecture Notes       

                                                        Click to View professor Kosta Peev's Lecture Notes

                                                                                             English

                                                                                        Macedonian

About Dr.Kosta Peev,
Professor from the Republic of Macedonia

Dr Kosta Peev is one of the most important figures in the studies of the Macedonian Language of modern times. He is born in the City of Strumica, Republic of Macedonia, and after his primary and secondary education, following a teaching career in Strumica he moved to the capital of Macedonia, Skopje. Here he taught various aspects of the Macedonian Language at the University of Kiril and Methodija
He received his Doctorate on the subject of ‘Kukuski Speech -Govor.’ Kukushki was the dialect spoken in the Region of Kukush, Aegean Part of Macedonia during the early part of the twentieth century. Kukus, as birthplace of the famous Macedonian revolutionary Goce
Delchev, was the Center of Macedonian Culture and later destroyed. This Macedonian Dialect was widely spoken in Greece up to recent times and although sporadically, it is still spoken in Greece today. One of Dr.Peev greatest achievements is the creation of the Dialectical Dictionary of the Macedonian Language from the South East parts of Aegean Macedonia presently Greece, which preserved the
language for ever. This is an impressive work consisting of six (6) Volumes with well over 2000 pages Nominated in recent years for Academic at the Macedonian Academy of Sciences, he has been awarded and has received the highest level of Awards for his work in the Republic of Macedonia such as: Award of 11 Oktomvri’;Award of Sveti Kliment Ohridski’; Award ”Goce Delcev”‘Award Grad Strumica.
Dr.Peev has contributed and worked on the General Linguistic Atlas of Slavic Languages and the“Carpathian Dialectic linguistic Atlas” in Europe His work has been recognized and acknowledged by various European Universities such as Moscow (Russia), Bratislava,(Slovakia), Krakow (Poland),Brno Check Republic, Ljubljana Slovenia. He has published over 180 University Linguistic Studies, two (2) Volumes o the Kukushki Language, one (1) volume of Dojran Dialectical Language. In 2009 Dr.Kosta Peev gave a lecture on the Macedonian Literary Language in Toronto Canada .In October 2013 he gave a lecture on the Macedonian Language from the 16 th Century based on a book by C.Giannelli and Andre Vaillant from Ancient Manuscripts written about the Macedonian Language with Greek letters found in the Secret Archives of the Vatican.