St. Paraskeva Rimlyanka Church, village of Kamenar

Overview

The village of Kamenar (Stonemason), Pomorie municipality, is located in a plain between the sea and the mountains. Beautiful, with a variety of natural resources and fertile soil, the village is close to a stone quarry, which gave its name and has been a source of building material for thousands of years.

St. Paraskeva Rimlyanka Church stands in Kamenar village. Since ancient times holy water has sprung near Kamenar village, which is related to St Parasckeva Rimlyanka (St Paraskeva of Rome). A local legend says that a Greek landowner – Salamara – discovered a golden treasure near the holy spring and donated it to build a school and a temple in the village. That is how in 1850 the only church in Kamenar village was built – Sv. Paraskeva Rimlyanka. A large icon of the saint stands inside. When in 1903 fire broke out near Kamenar and the flames were approaching the village, the locals took out the icon and held it up against the fire. And a miracle happened – the wind direction changed and the village was saved. This happened on the eve of the feast of St Paraskeva and that is why even nowadays the locals gather around the holy spring, in order to be able to honour the saint.

The church building deteriorated over time and it had to be destroyed in 1999, but immediately thereafter construction of a new church began. After a few years of work the temple was completed, thanks to donations and the sponsorship of Pomorie municipality.