Botev Monastery "St. Marina"

Overview

The monastery "St. Martyr Marina ”or“ The Monastery of Dobrudzha ”, as it is also known, is located about 1 km east of the village of Botevo, which in turn is 8 km west of the main road Varna - Dobrich. It is located in a valley near a violent cold spring. The monastery can be reached after turning right from the inter-village asphalt road Krumovo - Botevo (there is a signpost on the place) on a good dirt road that leads directly to the holy place. During the Ottoman rule, and to this day, the area is called "Dalup Dere". We find scarce information about the monastery during this period in an article in the newspaper "Macedonia", issue. 39 of September 23, 1871, written by Dimitar Stanchev, adopted in the village of Yushenliy (the old name of the village of Botevo) teacher, founder of the local revolutionary committee, writer-patriot, close friend of Lyuben Karavelov and Hristo Botev. In his article entitled "Dalup Dere", he writes: it flows continuously and flows below the building, where there is a special outlet and the flowing water forms a river. Kara the cupboards, she also waters the gardens ... ”The author also reports that in“ Dalup Dere ”a gathering took place, to which the whole of Dobrudja flocked. The spring was owned by the Turk Sali Topci Bey from Dobrich and here he spent the summer "seferich" with his harem. He decided to build a barn, but during the excavations they dug a cross with the inscription “St. Marina ”. Then, after realizing that the place was Christian, Bey sold the whole area to Grandpa Lecho from the village of Botevo for two horses, five goats and three mats. Grandpa Lecho gave it to the village church. Due to the lack of historical sources, information about the past of the local monastery comes mainly from local legends, which largely overlap with actual events and circumstances, including those described by teacher Dimitar Stanchev. Of the legends associated with this place, the following two are the most common. One of them tells us about grandparents who were going to the city at a caravan market. They promised their granddaughter that they would take her too. In the morning, seeing how sweet she had fallen asleep, they decided not to wake her, and set off with the first roosters. When the girl woke up and realized what had happened, she walked only through the dense forest. He got lost and was very tired. And when it came to a clear spring, it drank thirstily from the cold water. He quenched his thirst and lay down to rest on the cold stones. But that's where the rest is. He was found the same day, but death had already taken him away. It is not known if he was buried there, but his parents made a tombstone that read: "Marina died here at the age of 12." Thus, the spring was named "Marina's Well" and people from Dobrudzha began to gather near it. But Turkish times came and the Christians slowly stopped gathering at the council. The picture changed, the place overgrown, the spring filled with mud and became infected. Hence the name "Satna Panar" - on tour. "A feverish well." A Turkish bey, from the village of Dobrich, decided to build a barn near the spring, where he could spend hours in peace with his harem. When they started digging, the cross on which he read "Marina died here at the age of 12" came out, and the frightened Turk forgot all his intentions. He called the place Christian and handed over the cross to the church in the village of Yushanliy, and sold the place to Grandpa Lecho from the same village for two horses, a goat and three mats.