Kiril Peychinovich

Kiril Peychinovich Кирил Пейчинович Kiril Pejčinoviḱ Кирил Пејчиновиќ
Portrait of Kiril Peychinovich
Born	c. 1770 Tearce, Ottoman Empire (present-day Republic of Macedonia)
Died	(1865-03-07)March 7, 1865 Lešok, Ottoman Empire (present-day Republic of Macedonia)
Pen name	"Tetoec"
Occupation	cleric and writer
Genre	religion
Notable works	"Ogledalo" and "Utešenie Grešnim"

Kiril Peychinovich or Kiril Pejčinoviḱ (Bulgarian: Кирил Пейчинович, Macedonian: Кирил Пејчиновиќ, Church Slavonic: Күриллъ Пейчиновићь, Serbian: Кирил Пејчиновић) (c. 1770 – 7 March 1865) was a cleric, writer and enlightener, one of the first supporters of the use of modern Bulgarian in literature (as opposed to Church Slavonic), and one of the early figures of the Bulgarian National Revival. In the Republic of Macedonia Peychinovich is considered one of the earliest contributors to modern Macedonian literature, since most of his works were written in his native Lower Polog dialect which he called most common and illiterate Bulgarian language of Lower Moesia.

Peychinovich was born in the large Polog village of Tearce (Теарце) in present-day Republic of Macedonia (then part of the Ottoman Empire). His secular name is unknown. According to his tombstone, he received his primary education in the village of Lešok (Лешок). Probably he later studied at the Monastery of St. John Bigorski near Debar. Kiril's father, Peychin, sold his property in Tearce and, together with his brother and his son, moved to the monastery of Hilandar in Mount Athos where the three became monks. Peychin accepted the name Pimen, his brother — Dalmant, and his son — Kiril (Cyril). Later Kiril returned to Tetovo from there set out for the Kičevo Monastery of the Holy Immaculate Theotokos, where he became a hieromonk.