Krastova Gora

KRASTOVA GORA

Among the numerous famous Holy places throughout our motherlands there is one, which still strives to find its place in the modern Bulgarian history. Nevertheless, it has already found its place in the hearts of the believers. Its name is Krastova gora ( The Forest of the Cross). Flashing through the ages under the name Krastov, this sanctuary keeps the memories of the ancient monastery ruined during the time of the Ottoman Domination.
From generation to generation it was handed down by a word of mouth that here, in the Rhodopes in the place of the once set up cross on the mountain top above the village of Borovo, many believers found cure for their pains and consolidation for their sufferings.
Krastova gora towers at 1545 m. above the sea level. The meadow is 500m. long and 300 m. wide. The scientists investigate this region for the famous sanctuary of God Dionysios, once competing the seat of the Delphian oracle. According to others unquestionable curative influence of Krastov is due to the gamma rays coming from the urane deposits in the bowers of the Rhodopes. According to a master in theology, here was the dairy farm of the Bachkovo monastery. He also said that the monks of Krastova gora managed to obtain by entreaties from the father Superior of Bachkovo monastery the big Bacourian icon of gold alloy with incrusted large fragments of the life – giving Christ’s cross to the Trinity monastery.
There are also other versions. According to one of them the icon was secretly brought to Krastova gora to be saved from the violation of the Turkish invaders. Later, when danger of violation also pended over the Trinity monastery, provident monks managed to burry the icon with incrusted fragments of Crist’s Cross in the skirts of the same mountain top.
Years have passed but the legend is still alive. Christians and Bulgarians turned Moslems by force come to this place on Krastov day, light candles and hand down to their sons and grand sons what they have heard from their fathers and grandfathers. For decades on and on the highest place of the meadow rises the symbol of the Christian faith – the cross. Alter telling a lot of legends for this sacred place, soon the first pilgrims started to come – ill, looking for cure. Among the hundreds of pilgrims was princess Evdokia who came with the hope to find recovery from befalling illness.
At the end of the eighties and on the initiative of the local people, a subscription was launched to collect subsidies for building of a new Orthodox church in Krastova gora. The “St. Trinity” church built a quarter of a century before by the people of Borovo turned too small to meet the thousands of pilgrims. For dedicates on end an overnight vigil is held every Friday evenings in the open Nature. In the autumn of 1995 the new temple was ready.