site.btaMemorial Plaque Unveiled at Bulgarian Chapel in Hungary's Pecs

A memorial plaque has been unveiled at the Bulgarian St Ivan Rilski chapel in the Hungarian city of Pecs, BTA learned from Szvetla Kjoszeva, Editor-in-Chief of the Bulgarian-Hungarian lifestyle and culture magazine, Haemus.

The chapel was established in 1933 after the then mayor, Andor Nendtvich, provided the Bulgarian community with a meeting house. There was also a Bulgarian school in the city from 1954 to 1970.

Bulgarians have had a long-standing presence in Pecs. Today's Bulgarian community consists of descendants of Bulgarian gardeners.

The father of Teodora Rusev, chairman of the local Bulgarian self-government, arrived in Hungary in 1935, settled near Pecs, and worked on his garden until the 1990s. He had eight children, who also had large families. Teodora raised her four children on her own, and has been actively participating in the cultural life of the Bulgarian community in Pecs for ten years. Credit should also be given to Yordan Bonev, who led the local Bulgarian self-government in the city for 20 years before that, Kjoszeva said.

The chapel is a modest building housing two rooms whose walls are covered with icons that have been donated over the years. A porcelain cross made in the famous Zsolnay factories has been adorning the place ever since it was opened.

The ceremony for the unveiling of the memorial plaque brought together local Bulgarians, representatives of the communities in Miskolc, Debrecen, Halasztelek, and Budapest, as well as the heads of Bulgarian organizations and institutions.

Pecs Deputy Mayor Gabor Zag highlighted the multicultural nature of the city and the great cooperation with the Bulgarian community over the years. The Mayor's Office is aided in its work by the Council of Nationalities, representing 11 nationalities.

Dr. Dancho Musev, chairman of the Bulgarian Republican Self-Government in Hungary, thanked the local community for preserving Bulgarian traditions and values.

Following the unveiling of the plaque, the Bulgarian Republican Self-Government held a meeting in the conference centre named after the Bulgarian city of Sliven, which has been a sister city of Pecs for decades. Opportunities for cooperation and the holding of joint cultural events were discussed at the meeting.

The patron saint of the chapel is also a basis for further cooperation. Since 2016, October 19, the day of St. Ivan Rilski, has been celebrated annually as the Day of Bulgarian-Hungarian Friendship in accordance with a decision of the parliaments of Bulgaria and Hungary.