Bulgaria Restores Balkans' Top Monastery Complex

Sliven Bishop Yoanikiy led the procession with the relics of St. John the Baptist in Sozopol. Finance Minister Simeon Djankov is in the middle, while Prof. Kazimir Popkonstantinov is on the far left. Photo by Finance Ministry

Bulgaria will finally be able to restore one of the largest monastery complexes on the Balkans – the medieval “St. Knyaz Boris” near the Black Sea capital Varna.

The restoration is made possible by the BGN 857 000 from the State budget allotted by Finance Minister Simeon Djankov for summer archeology excavations. BGN 60 000 will be slated for the monastery.

The monastery has been researched by Prof. Kazimir Popkonstantinov in the last 15 years, including this summer where he is helped by a team of 20 college archeology students from the University of Veliko Tarnovo.

Popkonstantinov, who recently discovered the relics of St. John the Baptist on the island of St. Ivan near Bulgaria’s southern beach town of Sozopol, says the monastery project has never received so much money, despite his historical significance and potential for precious finds. One of them is the lead stamp of Tsar Petar discovered in 2010 during digs in the area.

 

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