Here's a link to a detailed closeup study of that right door:

Bulgarian Tryptic: Right Door Detail

Thank you all so very much for your facinating insight as to the meaning of the inscriptions and the "Who's Who" of the cast of carachters featured on this old relic. I'm inspired to research more deeply into the History behind all of this.

I knew the Tryptic was old... but not THAT old! Goodness Gracious; 400 years!!?? No way!?

Guess we'd better hide it a little deeper in the ol' sock drawer! };^{)~

(we don't dare display it on the wall any more as one of the doors is falling off, and I'm a little reluctant to restore it until I find out how old or potentially significant it might be).

As a little kid I remember thinking of the inscriptions on the closed doors as "The Happy Eskimo in the Christmas Tree" (My Parents used to display it on the wall of our home when we were growing up).
   We always wondered about the mysterious figures depicted on those "doors" and what the "funny writing" was all about.

As an aside, Grandfather James Franklin brought one of the (if not THE) first printing presses to Bulgaria in the late 1800s, if I recall correctly, in order to publish educational materials as well as Christian litterature or "Tracts" in the native language.

He was handing out some of these Gospel Tracts in the streets of Sofia in 1916 when the fatal stroke or "apoplexy" as they used to call it struck him down, and he was ushered into the presence of our Lord a few days thereafter.

As far as we know, his grave remains in Sofia.

He had a heart firmly committed to the Lord, the Kingdom, and the People of Bulgaria - particularly the Children, a couple of whom they apparently adopted, but of whom little is known.
   We have a picture of a young man who we think may be one of them.
Gosh; they'd be our Great-Uncles, I guess.

Among the relics brought back to Massachusetts were a number of woven tapestries, an "apron" I guess you'd call it, and a small collection of knives.

I don't know if you are into that sort of thing, but I could snap some pics of the knives as well if you are interested; most of them feature blades folding into a curved, tapering handle that appears to be goat horn, and a couple of them are spring loaded primitive "swithchblades". One of them is very finely made and has a blade like a 19th Century "Bowie" knife that still snaps out quite smartly when the latch is released. It looks like a pretty darned formidable weapon!

One of the "switchblades" is in my Dad's old tool-chest, where he apparently was still using it to strip insulation off of wires and whittle a point on his pencil from time to time. I suppose I oughta dig it out of there....

Brother J.D. has a big old hand-wrought Iron nail or spike that my Dad picked up while visiting Bulgaria in the 1930's from the site of an old Monastary in the Mountains - it has a tag on it that tells the name of the Monastary, but I forget... it was a short name, though...

We thought some of returning to Bulgaria some day to visit and see what's left of the old School, and the state of the Christian Church over there - but declining health and financial resources seem to have nixed that idea.

Thanks again for your insight, and may Blessings abundantly attend you in this Easter Season.

UJ in ME