site.btaVillagers Unite to Collect Funds for Church Repair

Local residents and heirs of old Balkan families are collecting funds for the repair of the church in the village of Ilakov Rut in Veliko Tarnovo Region, said Deputy Mayor Yordan Shuberkov. According to him, BGN 20,000 are needed in order to make urgent repairs to the roof, as the leaks may cause other structural problems in the building.

The initiative is also supported by Metropolitan Gregory of Veliko Tarnovo. Funds are collected in the neighbouring village of Hanevtsi through an announced bank account, as well as in open donation boxes. 

The construction of the church with stone foundations from 1905 to 1908 was initiated by archpriest Dyulgerov, and completed with the help of all people in the village. In the interior, only the dome part of the temple is painted, therefore there are talks about continuing its mural painting by students of iconography from Veliko Tarnovo University.

According to Shuberkov, one of the main reasons why so many people have united around the cause of saving the church is that the memory of their ancestors' effort and work is still alive and they feel that the tradition should be continued.

Another cause, which the local people are about to take up with the assistance of Elena Municipality, is the repair and restoration of the Probuda-1903 People's Community Centre.