Modern Times

Today the monastery is an attractive and prefer- ed place for visits and recreation for a number of residents from Rousse, the neibourhood and for foreign tourists. Since the end of 2000, when the care and the responsibility for monastery mainte- nance, renovation and development as a cultural and spiritual center has passed into the hands of the Association For Bulgarian Culture “St. Dimitry Bassarbovski” the monastery  has changed its appearance and social significance. Among the main objectives of the association underlie: the popularization of the saint’s life of St. Dimitry Bassarbovski, the architectural renovation and restoration of the monastery, as well as the sup-   port of various institutions, directly related or in- volved in the revival of the spiritual foundations and traditions of the orthodox culture. The objec- tives are transformed into deads with the public- ation of the book “St. Dimitry Bassarbovski and His Rock Monastery Near Rousse”, in 2000 on the commemoration of 315th anniversary of the saint’s assumption, the accomplishment of the project “Еco-field For Volunteers”, the introduct- ion to and the involvment of public institutions, private persons and companies as supporters and sponsors of  the joint spiritual cause of the monastery. Аs a result of the project’s completion is achieved aesthetical uniformity between the temple and the space ahead through the unifica- tion and the active support of community repre- sentatives of various age and profession.       Nowadays the monastery is good-looking and well preserved. The visitor is engulfed into the cool freshness of the yard planted with flowers, bushes and fruit trees. The path leads him to the well, dug out by St. Dimitry. The water within is healing and many of the visitors after tasting it come back to the monastery again. There are two living rooms and a cave refectory at the rocks’ foot, built in 1956 and entirely renovated in the last few years. The pilgrims climb up over 48 stairs and find them selves at a rock terrace, exhi- biting a fascinating view to Lom’s valley. Toward the terrace’s rear side is situated a small encove, where, as the legend tells, has slept St. Dimitry. On the right is the rock-church - 4,50 to 8,60 meters, the icono-

                                << Back

stasis is wood-carved, made in 1941 from Carpentary Vocational School in Rousse. The icons are bestowed by virtuous Christians. There is a big life-strory icon of St. Dimitry from 1803 by the iconostasis. Across the image of the saint, depicted full-lengthed, are situated ten life-story scenes. The captions are in Romanian (in cyrilic letters) and in Greek. The altar is small. The holy communion table and the proscomedia are made by monk Hadji Hrisant himself. There is a ‘proski natary’ within the church, gifted by Doc. Kora- bova. On 20^th of november 1941 George Ka- lugerov bestowed a nickel-plated pentabread- holder. Across the church are situated two monk’s cells, where lived and finished his earthly life father Hrisant.

Climbing up other stairs the visitor comes to a naturally formed cave, where monk Hadji Hrisant was buried. There is a representation in relief of the father on the wall, finnished on 20th of June 1957 by the Razgrad artist Peter. Within the cave were layed down the bones of the passed out brothers of the monastery. Years ago they were buried at the monaste- ry’s grave- yard and in the ossua- ry’s premi- ses was arranged historical exhibition.                As next step the Associa- tion would like to turn the monas tery into an open center for helding concerts, exhibitions, small perform- ances, “Sunday school” on environmental stu- dies and history via erection of art-stages and the attraction of young people interested in arts, students, informal groups and residents of Bassarbovo. This is also the goal of the second project of the Association – ”Ecofield For Volunteers II – ‘Spiritual Paths’” by the ‘Democratic Network’ program of the “Ame- rican Agency For International Development (USAID).” Aimed now at changing people’s attide from passive to active the place and the role of the holy cloister attain an entirely new and unconceivable dimension in the history of the town and of the whole region.