Monument to Maxim Raykovich - Dryanovo

Overview

Dryanovo has made a significant contribution to the Revival, with the name of one of the earliest and most active Bulgarian Revivalists, who was born there - Mincho Raykov Krinski or Archimandrite Maxim Raykovich (1801-1874). He fought hard and successfully against Greekism in the Tarnovo region. As abbot of the Plakovski and Lyaskovski / Petropavlovski / monasteries he expelled the Greek monks and replaced them with Bulgarian ones, taking in the second the famous Neofit Bozveli, with whom they became good friends. He founded the first Bulgarian school in Lyaskovets, and later in Galati initiated the establishment of a Bulgarian school and a Bulgarian church. In 1852 he wrote his famous "Pity Exhortation", which sought to provoke his countrymen to keep their own language, school and church - a kind of continuation of the work of Paisius, who 90 years earlier called for the same. Archimandrite Maxim is also one of the largest Bulgarian donors - he financially supports the construction and maintenance of several schools and churches, publishes many books and textbooks, donates school supplies to the school in Dryanovo, and bequeaths his entire fortune to scholarships to poor students and Bulgarian schools - in his native Dryanovo, in Lyaskovets, Tarnovo, Galati, leaving a sum for the first higher school that will be established in Bulgaria. He also took part in the armed events in the struggle for freedom - in 1835 in the Welch conspiracy, and later in the Crimean War, for which he received a gold cross for bravery and a medal personally from the Russian emperor. He died on March 10, 1874 in Galati, Romania. In 1896-1898. in Dryanovo was built a magnificent school building with the donation of Maxim Raykovich. From then until today, the school bears his name. In front of the beautiful building on May 24, 1934. a bust-monument was unveiled in his honor. The reason is 60 years. from the death of the revivalist. The author of the monument is the Dryanovo artist and sculptor Dimitar Kosev Dimitrov. Due to the poor condition of the old monument, in 2013. in its place was made a new one, made of bronze. As a sign of continuity, a beautiful nameplate with the name of the previous one was placed on it. The author is the Haskovo sculptor Ivan Paraskov. Its official opening took place on October 17, 2013 - during the holidays of the town of Dryanovo. The event was also part of the program to mark 155 years since the establishment of the Dryanovo class school.