Sofia, December 30, 2019
Photo: mountathos-eshop.com
The Bulgarian government has set aside more than $1 million for the Bulgarian Orthodox spiritual treasure, Zographou Monastery.
In particular, the Cabinet of Ministers resolved to allocate $1,317,000 (2.3 million leva) towards the repair and reconstruction of the eastern wing of the Bulgarian monastery on Mt. Athos, reports brn.bg.
The eastern wing, built 200 years ago, is currently uninhabited and in serious condition. It is where St. Paisius of Hilandar wrote his famous Slavonic-Bulgarian History, the first work of Bulgarian historiography from the National Revival period.
After the vote on state aid, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said: “Thus, may the Lord be with us, helping Bulgaria and the people. Let us all be alive and well, and once again: Merry Christmas.”
Visiting the sacred monastery in November, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev noted that, “Zographou Monastery is one of the most sacred and significant spiritual centers for the Bulgarian people, not only because of the preserved invaluable manuscripts, icons and artifacts, but because for more than a millennium it has upheld the Bulgarian faith, spirituality, memory and language.”
The Municipal Council of the town of Kyustendil in far western Bulgaria also decided to allocate nearly $8,600 (15,000 leva).
The Commission for Religions of the National Assembly of Bulgaria also voted to finance repairs at the monastery in 2014. In 2017 and 2018, the government allocated nearly $300,000 for repairs to the Church of Sts. Onuphrius, Damascene, and All the Gabrovo Martyrs in Gabrovo.
