A memorial prayer for the founders of the Bulgarian Learned Society (BLS), the donors of the Ascension of Christ Church, the clergy and Hristo Botev was celebrated in Braila, Romania, during the second day of the official visit of the delegation of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences led by the President, Prof. Julian Revalski, Member of BAS.
The prayer (said in Romanian and Bulgarian) was led by His Eminence Archbishop Cassian of the Lower Danube, in communion with Archpriest Kiril Sinev (representative of the Bulgarian Patriarchate in Bucharest, Romania).
“The Bulgarian Learned Society, which later became the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), is undoubtedly the most significant contribution to the Bulgarian National Revival in the field of the spiritual sphere,” said the President of BAS, Prof. Julian Revalski, at the place where, on 12 October 1869, the Yambol woman Varvara Hadzhiveleva gave up her home to hold the founding assembly of the future Academy of Sciences. Years later, the Church of the Ascension of Christ was built on its site, in the courtyard of which a memorial plaque was placed on which it was written in Bulgarian and Romanian that “On this spot was the house where in 1869 Bulgarian emigrants laid the foundations of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences”.
Prof. Revalski recalled that the establishment of the Bulgarian Learned Society is the fruit of almost 20 years of activity of a number of Bulgarian enlighteners. He noted that the “motors” of this process were Marin Drinov, Vasil Stoyanov and Vasil Drumev.
“The enthusiasm of these enlightened Bulgarians alone was not enough to establish the Society. Two more things were needed. One was the place where to establish this society and the other was who would materially support it. The Romanian land and the Romanian people was the place that served for the establishment of the Bulgarian Learned Society. The people who materially helped the creation of the Society were Bulgarians who lived here, on your land, and you welcomed them in your homes,” also added Prof. Revalski.
He expressed hope that in the future Bulgarians and Romanians will continue to come to this place around 12 October to see “this Orthodox temple, which in a harmonious way connects Orthodox religion and science”.
The Ambassador of our country to Romania, H.E. Radko Vlaykov, noted that the founders of the Bulgarian Learned Society in 1869 laid the foundations of the first institution of Bulgarian statehood even before the Liberation. He added that the spiritual beginning should be an example today of what should guide us in difficult times. He said that the 155th anniversary of BAS was an occasion to analyse what the two countries had achieved together and what they could do in the future, noting together with Archbishop Cassian the good partnership between them and in the European Union.
The Mayor of Braila, Mr Viorel Dragomir, said that the Bulgarian people had built wonderful things in his city.
Archbishop Cassian said that the church was a kind of cathedral and academy of Bulgarian-Romanian friendship, culture and spirituality. He commented that Hristo Botev had insisted the founding of the Bulgarian Learned Society to take place in the city of Braila, an important commercial and spiritual centre which hosted people from different countries, among them the Bulgarian National Revivalists and Enlighteners who founded the Bulgarian Learned Society on 12 October 1869, instead of in Odessa or Galac which had been the other options.
His Eminence Cassian even commented that in his opinion the memorial plaque in the courtyard of the Church of the Ascension would look more complete if there was also a cross mounted on it.
The Bulgarian delegation, Ambassador H.E. Radko Vlaykov, the Mayor of Braila Mr. Viorel Dragomir, the representatives of the Bulgarian community from the “Hristo Botev” Association of Bulgarians in Braila, the local municipality and the Romanian Academy (RA) laid wreaths and flowers at the memorial plaque and the bust-monument of Hristo Botev in Braila whose memory was honoured.
Earlier in the day, the programme of the Bulgarian delegation in Romania also included a meeting with the Mayor of the city of Braila, Viorel Marian Dragomir, which was attended by the Vice-President of BAS Corr. Memb. Evdokia Pasheva, the Scientific Secretary-General Prof. Neli Koseva, the Ambassador of Bulgaria to our northern neighbour H.E. Radko Vlaykov and the Director General of the Bulgarian News Agency Kiril Valchev. At the meeting, they discussed the current cooperation of Braila with Pleven and Shumen as well as the possibilities for future joint projects with different institutions of the Bulgarian state.
