The word “unification” is the basis of the Azbukari Association’s initiative, launched for raising funds for putting up a monument of Grandpa Dobri downtown Sofia. The idea is this to be the first memorial of Good in Bulgaria. Borislav Radoslavov, one of the initiators and supporters of the cause tells us why the Bailovo Saint has been opted for as a symbol:

“We may say that God selected Grandpa Dobri as His messenger, as a person teaching kindness, humility, patience and redemption. I met with him 5 years ago in the yard of Bailovo’s church, where we spent maybe an hour, discussing faith, opportunities to be better and also when we should pray. One of the most important things that he taught me back then was that we should pray when everything is fine too. The other thing that he left in my memory was to do good without expecting anything in return. Sooner or later the good that has been done will return - one way or another.”

We don’t know much about the life of Grandpa Dobri, as it was enough for him to be known as the good person, collecting money for the restoration of temples and monasteries. The man was born in 1914 in the village of Bailovo, cuddling in Ihtiman’s Sredna Gora Mountain. The man with the big heart left us on February 13 this year and he lived his life following his own legacy till the very last breath. In people’s hearts he remained as a symbol of everything good.

The initiators’ will is the monument to be constructed by students from the stonecutter school in the village of Kutino, Vratsa region, and with the help of their teacher – sculptor Krassimir Mitov. The latter has already prepared a sample gypsum pattern, but a discussion is forthcoming and it might see a few changes. What is sure for now is that the monument will be whole-length and some 1,70 m high. Talks are being held with the Sofia Municipality on where it should be placed. The organizers have their hope that the monument will find its place in front of the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. There is a fundraising campaign going on. Over EUR 1,500 have been raised so far and anyone willing to donate may do so by buying the book "Grandpa Dobri – The Bailovo Saint" . Its author Borislav Radoslavov has gathered inside stories and memories of the people close to the late man who have so far remained hidden from the public. The reason was the vow made by his relatives – not to share anything with anyone and it lasted for two whole decades. Thanks to them the book has now turned into a sort of a chronicle, tracking down the story of a person’s life across three Bulgarias (during three different political regimes).

The title might sound a bit pompous to some, but just think on the number of people you know around who have devoted their entire life to supporting the restoration process of some Orthodox temple – and totally for free. The author learnt from a lady in Elin Pelin the exact number of the temples that Dobri had donated to and the exact sums donated. Tsonka Pantaleeva was a sort of a treasurer who kept the money that the old man had collected through the day. Then she would take it to the bank and feed his personal account. Whenever she decided that the sum gathered was enough, she would withdraw the money and gift it to a temple, chosen by Dobri. He would donate the most to temples where miraculous icons where kept, or relics of saints. One of the donations, said to be the largest personal one ever made, went to the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral – EUR 17,850. However, the old man actually donated much more, as he would often leave the day’s portion directly into the temple’s cash desk. The book also tells us about several other major donations to a monastery near Rousse and on Mount Athos and also on many other smaller actions that have contributed to the restoration and maintenance of Orthodox churches across Bulgaria.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev 

Photos: archive