Bulgarian Church in Istanbul

I just wanted to raise an interesting issue with regard to the Bulgarian Iron church in Istanbul. I was made aware of the issue in a Turkish forum.


http://ide.li/wiki_Turkey-Sveti_Dimityr.html


The above source claims that the following script is on the door of the church:

"Храмъ Св. в. м. Димитри Мироточивий е съграденъ въ лето Господне 1921 следъ Рождество Христово съ средствата и предстоянието на родолюбивия Димитъръ Г. Спировъ родомъ отъ Загоричени Костурско Македония въ паметъ и веченъ споменъ на убитите на 25 мартъ 1905 г. 63 българи въ родното имъ с. Загоричени..."

my translation:

The Church of St Dimitri Mitrovich was built in the year 1921 AD with the help of the patriot Dimitar Spirov born in Zagoricheni Kostursko Macedonia in memory of the 63 Bulgarians killed on 25th March 1905 in their native village of Zagoricheni ...

Now, I personally do not know under what circumstances those 63 Bulgairan were killed in 1905, neither do I know what exactly happened, but I would assume they were killed as rebells against the Ottoman administration. Can somebody please clarify?


I raised this issue, because there have been attempts by Bulgarian Turks to build a "Chesme" in Trinak (Dikenlik) village to commemorate the Turks killed during the revival process, and also a recent proposal to build a thombstone on Shipka to commemorate the fallen Turkish soldiers have all met fierce opposition, for being offensive to the Bulgarian nation and promoting animosity.

An association of exiled Bulgarian Turks in Turkey is now trying to bring these issues to the attention of Turkish courts, in order to campaign for the removal of the script from the door of the Bulgarian church in Istanbul under the same reasons.

I personally hope they will not succeed but the attitude of the Bulgarian authorities with regard to the Turkish monuments in Bulgaria are not helping at all.


Edited by bg_turk - 15-Aug-2006 at 20:27

Originally posted by bg_turk I just wanted to raise an interesting issue with regard to the Bulgarian Iron church in Istanbul. I was made aware of the issue in a Turkish forum. Now, I personally do not know under what circumstances those 63 Bulgairan were killed in 1905, neither do I know what exactly happened, but I would assume they were killed as rebells against the Ottoman administration. Can somebody please clarify?

bg_turk, go there: http://macedonia-history.blogspot.com/ and find the word "загоричани" in that page.
And you can tell to these turkish guys the truth: http://www.bg-turk.com/index.php?act=forum&do=view&id=7290

Also you can go there.

So, it's not the Turks, but the Greeks? Sorry, BG_Turk!  

I doubt modern Bulgarian nationalism would allow such a thing. I, personally, have nothing against it, as long as it's kept simple and not provocative (not some grand monument, which could only irritate the more "patriotic" of us). And especially for the Shipka monument it's gonna be quite harder! I think nothing happened with that teke of Enihan Baba at Svoboda peak, but then again - there was only an ancient Thracian temple destroyed there. It can't be compared to something newer and more "sacred" as of today...

Edited by NikeBG - 16-Aug-2006 at 03:28

I have no problem with their remains moved to Turkey and a monument build there. After all, I do understand that those are turkish soldiers who fought for their country and believed they were fighting for a just cause.

But I'm absolutely against a monument on Shipka. If it was a monument for the Ottoman soldiers in the Balkan or First World War, and not there- fine.
But not on Shipka. The simple name of the pass is an epithet for Bulgarian freedom. Those soldiers commited many attrocities against civilian population, massacres and destruction.

I don't want to sound like a nationalists, but some thing are well... too symbolic and importaint for such a thing.
Imagine if the Japanese wanted to put a monument for the fallen soldiers at Okinawa next to the US monument in Washington?
Or one for the Wermacht soldiers in Moscow...   

 am in this allempires forum for the contact with the other people and with their culture.Especially meeting with the people who lived for 1000 years in the same land.I am here get know them and their past life and musics ,arts.

This is interesting to me:
Is "Sveti Stefan" the one iron cruch in the world nowadays?


Edited by The Chargemaster - 19-Aug-2006 at 12:06

Originally posted by The Diplomat you are not comparing apples to oranges but apples to basketballs

Then how about that possibility:

2. The other possibility: On their monument in Bulgaria must to be included also an information about the massacre in Stara Zagora.

Edited by The Chargemaster - 27-Sep-2006 at 10:37