St. Nicholas Church Yantra village

Overview

The church "St. Nicholas" is located in the village of Yantra, Gabrovo region. The village is near the town of Dryanovo. The church "St. Nicholas" was established 120 years ago.

The story of it is that Prince Ferdinand passed through the village and was impressed by the efforts of the locals to build it. A few months later he sent a letter inviting people from the village to come to him to help. with funds for the construction of the church. After the consecration of the church the village was renamed from Adamovo to Ferdinandovo and remained with this name until 1944.

In the Bulgarian Orthodox tradition, Saint Nicholas is revered as a deliverer of captives, patron of sailors, travelers, fishermen. It is inextricably linked to water and all living things whose home it is.

And it is not by chance that a church, nestled in the Balkans, has received St. Nicholas for his patron. Maybe people then just listened to themselves and believed what they carried with their souls. Namely - water. Water as an element, water as a mediator. There is water in almost every yard in the village of Yantra - deep, deep under the ground - it is there. Raging or gently flowing. The villagers and their heirs know about it, they carry it with them like their ancestors everywhere with them. That is why they remember the history of the church, which has united them countless times. Are they all believers? The village of Yantra dates back to the time of the Ottoman Empire, when it was called Adamovo and was inhabited by Turks. It began to exist as a Bulgarian village only after the Liberation, when after the departure of the Turkish population, Bulgarians from the nearby villages of Velkovtsi, Mezhdeni, Ivanili, Kozirog and others from the Gabrovo region settled in it.

On April 11, 1894, it was decided that there should be a church. Fundraising begins, with the participation of all residents of the village. Stones and slabs are procured from the villages of Malkochevo, Idilevo, Ivanili, Kostenkovtsi, Malko Yalare and others. Everyone is involved in the construction of the temple. No one remains indifferent under the expert guidance of master Gocho Genev from Kolibi, Tryavna region.

Times are turbulent, the world and Bulgaria are boldly moving forward. There can be no question of delay, a Bulgarian village without a church cannot! When the roof of the church was completed, Prince Ferdinand passed through the village. He was impressed by the efforts of the locals and wished to enter the temple, although it had not yet been furnished or painted. A few months later a letter arrived - the prince invited several people from the village to come to him to help with funds for the construction of the church. And so, step by step, the construction does not stop. The bell was delivered from Russia, and the icons were painted by masters from the Tryavna school.

The temple was consecrated on April 10, 1897. by the Metropolitan of Tarnovo Kliment / Vasil Drumev /, who wrote on the shroud in his own handwriting “s. Adamovo (Ferdinandovo) ". From the latter it is assumed that since then the village has been renamed Ferdinandovo. With this name it existed until 1944. after which it was renamed the village of Yantra.

After 1944 the path of the temple does not flourish - there are leaks from the roof, which are not repaired. The heirs of those brave men and women seem to be sinking. The church still functions, but only on holidays, and, as is customary at the time, crossing its threshold creates a complex mixture of fear and consolation in anyone who dares to do so. The temple finally closed its doors in the mid-1950s.

In 1999 the water finds its way to the surface again. At the initiative of residents of the village and the Municipality of Dryanovo, a decision was made to restore the church and make it operational again. Fundraising begins. The local people are involved again.

The church reopened on December 6, 2002. It was consecrated by Metropolitan Gregory of Veliko Tarnovo.

The temple becomes a part of life again - from its beginning to its end. Baptisms and weddings are not uncommon, thanks to the quiet romance that the village brings.