Mausoleum ossuary "July 19, 1877"

Overview

The mausoleum-ossuary "July 19, 1877" is a miniature and modest architectural monument, built in the northwestern part of Stara Zagora, below Ayazmoto. The bones of 2,000 martyred Christians were laid in it on July 19/31, 1877.
In the historical data it is noted: “… priest Stayu Kolev, Docho Hr. Ivanov, D. Neykov, Tane Ivanov, brother of priest Zacharias, who after the retreat of the Turks returned to look for or bury some of their family members, saw the corpses in the church on top of each other and the smell was terrible. The vault destroyed by the Turkish bombs had buried a significant part of the killed bodies and after the Liberation they were taken out and buried in a trap. "
Thus, the gorge, passing by the Singhirlia well, becomes a common grave. But with each torrential rain, water collects in the ditch, which washes away some of the soil and some of the bones of the buried come to the surface. Homeless dogs begin to spread them around. And so year after year… Until finally a priest, a native of Karlovo, appeared, who, learning about the tragedy experienced by the inhabitants of Stara Zagora on July 19, 1877, and the thousands of innocent victims, sought a way to preserve the memory of them. For the God-pleasing work, conceived by Georgi Klisarov, parish priest at the church "St. Trinity ”, many other parishioners are also involved.
The idea of ​​a humble priest and a zealous patriot managed to unite the patriots of the neighborhood. With joint efforts, funds were raised and the monument was built in the first decade of the twentieth century. After overcoming the difficulties, the mausoleum was completed at the end of 1909. The location of the mass grave was studied, the remaining skulls and bones ossuary. The remains were collected and disinfected with the participation of paramedic Ivan Garvanov, and then placed in a specially prepared niche. Thus the martyr's bones, sunk into oblivion in a crossless mound, finally find peace.
Thus, on July 20, 1910, the memory of those killed with solemn services and processions to the newly built mausoleum began to be celebrated.
In 1935, near the mausoleum-ossuary, a small memorial monument was erected by the workers of the communal economy ("by the city cleaners") in Stara Zagora. In the 1930s, Petko Kostadinov started fencing the area around the mausoleum and landscaping it. Probably at that time and again with donations the magnificent marble fountain was built.
After September 9, 1944, the history of the mausoleum was lost. In practice, until then, the church had taken some care. Then, for years, oblivion follows.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the fighting near Stara Zagora, some of the bones were transferred to the Defenders of Stara Zagora Memorial. There is no official information about what happened to the others, but in any case they were taken out of there. According to old documentary photos, it is estimated that the pile of mortal remains is over 1.5 m. Now the sarcophagus in the crypt is 1 m by 60 cm.
In 1998, the mausoleum-ossuary was declared a cultural monument of national importance.
A few years ago, under the project "Beautiful Bulgaria" a major renovation of the building and the area around it was made. A stone composition "Pieta" is placed in the yard.
The mausoleum-ossuary "July 19, 1877" is a place of worship and reflection. A temple commemorating the martyrs who died for freedom. It is also a recognition of the victims and a call to reassess the tragic facts of the past that gave birth to freedom.