BTA: Hristo Botev monument unveiled in Moldovan village of Corten

A monument to Bulgarian revolutionary and poet Hristo Botev was unveiled in the Moldovan village of Corten on the Day of the National Awakeners on Saturday. The official ceremony was attended by representatives of the Embassy of Bulgaria in Chisinau, the Bulgarian consul in Taraclia, Lyubomir Dimov, local authorities, community activists and donors who supported the initiative.

The covering of the monument was removed by Corten Mayor Stepan Tanurkov, and the First Secretary of the Bulgarian Embassy, Martin Vladimirov.

“I wish that in the years ahead you will continue to love Bulgaria, to preserve and maintain the Bulgarian language, to speak Bulgarian, to honour Bulgarian traditions and, of course, to continue to cherish our national heroes. Thank you for the invitation – it is a real honour for me to be here with you today. I would also like to thank all the donors and sponsors for these two wonderful monuments and wish the very best to the village of Corten. Happy Day of the National Awakeners,” Vladimirov said.

Local councilor Fiodor Sabii, who presented the proposal during a village council meeting on July 12, told BTA that the idea for the monument arose at the beginning of the year, and the unveiling was originally planned for January 6 – the birthday of Hristo Botev. Due to winter weather conditions, the initiative was implemented in the autumn.

“We decided to unveil the monument, whose sculptor is Iliya Boyarov, either on the Day of the Bessarabian Bulgarians or on the Day of the National Awakeners. I am grateful to all who helped [...]. In two months, we managed to build the monument through joint efforts,” said Sabii. He added that there are plans to install a monument to Saint Paisius of Hilendar at the local lyceum, which bears the name of the Bulgarian saint.

The Mayor of Corten said that the new monuments to revulationaries Botev and Vasil Levski are expressions of national memory and honour: “We say with great pride that the village of Corten has such monuments. No one is forgotten – neither Hristo Botev nor Vasil Levski. Our people will honour these heroes with reverence and respect. Today is a holiday – both religious and national, a holiday for all who know and cherish freedom.”

He added that the administration has committed to formalizing the status of the monuments as soon as possible.

A priest from the local church blessed the symbol of gratitude to Botev, erected in the park in the centre of the village.

As part of the ceremony, the Historical and Ethnographic Museum in Corten received a donation – a relief of Vasil Levski, hand-made from plaster and tinted by sculptor Ivelin Lambrinov. The donation came from the Movement of Enlighteners Association, and the relief was presented by Dr. Vladislava Spasova Ilieva, a researcher at the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS).

The ceremony concluded with the laying of flowers at the monument, and local pupils recited poems by Botev.

The organizers emphasised that the monument to Hristo Botev in Corten stands among the important symbols of the spiritual connection between Bulgaria and the Bessarabian Bulgarians, and embodies the continuity of the ideals of freedom, enlightenment and national consciousness.