Sofia, July 10, 2020
Photo: zografi.info
The municipality of Sofia will allocate more than $75,000 to two Orthodox churches and one monastery throughout the city after the relevant report was reviewed and adopted by the City Council’s Standing Committee on Culture and Education last month.
The St. John of Rila Monastery in the Kurilo neighborhood of Sofia will receive $17,335 (30,000 Bulgarian lev), the Church of the Prophet Elijah in the Knyazhevo District will receive $28,890 (50,000 lev), and the Church of St. Pimen of Zographou in the Izgrev District will also receive $28,890, reports Kmeta.bg.
The City Council also allocated more than $110,000 for the renovation of three other churches last year.
In the St. John of Rila Monastery, the funds will be used to complete the restoration of the iconostasis. Repairs have been underway in the monastery church since 2013.
The report submitted to the Council also emphasizes that the Church of the Prophet Elijah is in serious condition, as a result of high groundwater that penetrates through the foundation and walls of the church. There is serious damage to the iconography inside. The church board requested funds to protect and restore the external foundations of the church.
The Church of St. Pimen of Zographou is the newest in Sofia and the only one in the Izgrev District. The foundation stone was laid last year, but construction has not started.
The municipality also allocated $23,110 (40,000 lev) for repairs to an Armenian church in the Krasno Selo District of the capital.
