ИСТИНА

The present paper is going to discuss the ways of digitalization of those medieval documents (donation and property delineation acts issued by rulers or noblemen to ecclesiastic institutions), whose full-length or slightly-abbreviated texts are preserved being frescoed on the walls or carved on the columns of the endowed monasteries. These documents being simultaneously the texts and images became parts of spatial and iconographic programs of churches where they are placed. Appearing in a new type of discourse (monumental iconographic programs), these legal texts received additional meaning or strengthened and visualized the ideas already presented in them. A series of problems posed by such placement starts with a question concerning the ways of editing and publishing of the documents which can be regarded as epigraphic, diplomatic and art historical material at the same time. Therefore, the paper is going to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of every mentioned method which had been applied for the discussed documents. However, with the advancement of technologies, an opportunity appears topublish the monumentalized documents combining methods of epigraphy, diplomatic studies, and art history. The paper will be concluded with some observations concerning possible improvements to be introduced to the digital diplomataria in preparation.