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84-613: Born in the Sub-Balkan town of Karlovo to middle-class parents, Levski became an Orthodox monk before emigrating to join the two Bulgarian Legions in Serbia and other Bulgarian revolutionary groups. Abroad, he acquired the nickname Levski ("Lionlike"). After working as a teacher in Bulgarian lands, he propagated his views and developed the concept of his Bulgaria-based revolutionary organisation, an innovative idea that superseded

168-559: A Bulgarian republic of ethnic and religious equality , largely reflecting the liberal ideas of the French Revolution and contemporary Western society. He said, "We will be free in complete liberty where the Bulgarian lives: in Bulgaria, Thrace, Macedonia; people of whatever ethnicity live in this heaven of ours, they will be equal in rights to the Bulgarian in everything." Levski held that all religious and ethnic groups live in

252-744: A book of directives, which shaped the eremitical monasticism all across the Serbian lands. He also wrote the Hilandar Typikon regulating spiritual life in monasteries, organization of services and duties of monastic communities. The Hilandar Typikon was modeled in part after the typikon of the Monastery of Theotokos Evergetis in Constantinople . After the Fourth Crusade and Crusaders ' sack of Constantinople in 1204,

336-783: A brief stay in Romania . His uncle Basil reported him as a rebel to the Ottoman authorities, and Levski was imprisoned in Plovdiv for three months, but released due to the help of the doctor R. Petrov and the Russian vice-consul Nayden Gerov . On Easter 1864, Levski officially relinquished his religious office. From May 1864 until March 1866, he worked as a teacher in Voynyagovo near Karlovo; while there, he supported and gave shelter to persecuted Bulgarians and organised patriotic groups among

420-427: A chapel dedicated to Saint Nicholas built in, in addition to the newly erected monastery dining chamber. An unmatched iconographic work took place during Milutin's era starting from the main church, through the dining chamber, to the cemetery church. At that time the number of Serbian monks skyrocketed and monasticism flourished even further as Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos donated large pieces of land to

504-467: A family of clergy and craftsmen and were members of the emerging Bulgarian middle class. An eminent but struggling local craftsman, Ivan Kunchev died in 1844. Levski had two younger brothers, Hristo and Petar , and an older sister, Yana; another sister, Maria, died during childhood. Fellow revolutionary Panayot Hitov later described the adult Levski as being of medium height and having an agile, wiry appearance—with light, greyish-blue eyes, blond hair, and

588-491: A formal oath of allegiance over the Gospel or a Christian cross , a gun and a knife; treason was punishable by death, and secret police monitored each member's activities. Through clandestine channels of reliable people, relations were maintained with the revolutionary diasporic community. The internal correspondence employed encryption , conventional signs, and fake personal and committee names. Although Levski himself headed

672-410: A founding member and statute drafter. In disagreement over planning, Levski departed from Bucharest in the spring of 1870 and began to put into action his concept of an internal revolutionary network. Despite insufficient documentation of Levski's activities in 1870, it is known that he spent a year and a half establishing a wide network of secret committees in Bulgarian cities and villages. The network,

756-450: A free Bulgaria enjoy equal rights . He is commemorated with monuments in Bulgaria and Serbia, and numerous national institutions bear his name. In 2007, he topped a nationwide television poll as the all-time greatest Bulgarian. Today Vasil Levski is honoured by being a symbol of freedom, celebrations in his home town and sports clubs being named after him. The 19th-century Ottoman Empire's economic hardships prompted its personification as

840-470: A general revolt. Levski's idea of an entirely independent revolution did not enjoy the approval of the entire population however—in fact, he was the only prominent Bulgarian revolutionary to advocate it. Instead, many regarded an intervention by the great powers as a more feasible solution. Levski envisioned Bulgaria as a democratic republic , occasionally finding common ground with the Declaration of

924-503: A golden sealed chrysobulls donating the ancient monastery Helandaris, "to the Serbs as an eternal gift...," thereby designating it, "to serve the purpose of accepting the people of Serbian descent, who seek to pursue the monastic way of life, as monasteries belonging to Iberia and Amalfi endure on the Mount , exempt from any authority, including the authority of Protos ." Hilandar

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1008-481: A martyr, it was incompatible with the Orthodox concept of sainthood. Chureshki makes reference to Levski's correspondences, which show that Levski threatened wealthy Bulgarians (чорбаджии, chorbadzhii ) and traitors with death, endorsed theft from the rich for pragmatic revolutionary purposes and voluntarily gave up his religious office to devote himself to the secular struggle for liberation. Vasil Levski's hanging

1092-434: A national leader or a high-ranking official: "We yearn to see a free fatherland, and [then] one could even order me to graze the ducks, isn't that right?" In the spirit of Garibaldi , Levski planned to assist other oppressed peoples of the world in their liberation once Bulgaria was reestablished. He also advocated "strict and regular accounting" in his revolutionary organisation, and did not tolerate corruption. Cry! For near

1176-551: A nationwide poll conducted as part of the Velikite Balgari ("The Great Bulgarians") television show, a local spin-off of 100 Greatest Britons , named Vasil Levski the greatest Bulgarian of all time. There have been motions to glorify Vasil Levski as a saint of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church . However, historian Stefan Chureshki has emphasised that while Levski's post-monastical life was one of

1260-549: A new wave of raids hit the monastic republic . In the early 14th century, pirate mercenaries of the Catalan Grand Company repeatedly raided the Holy Mountain , while looting and sacking numerous monasteries, stealing treasures and Christian relics, and terrorizing monks. Of the 300 monasteries and monastic communities on Athos , Hilandar was among only 35 that survived the violence of the first decade of

1344-594: A school in Karlovo, studying homespun tailoring as a local craftsman's apprentice. In 1855, Levski's uncle Basil—archimandrite and envoy of the Hilandar monastery—took him to Stara Zagora , where he attended school and worked as Basil's servant. Afterward, Levski joined a clerical training course. On 7 December 1858, he became an Orthodox monk in the Sopot monastery under the religious name Ignatius (Игнатий, Ignatiy ) and

1428-446: A small moustache. He added that Levski abstained from smoking and drinking. Hitov's memories of Levski's appearance are supported by Levski's contemporaries, revolutionary and writer Lyuben Karavelov and teacher Ivan Furnadzhiev. The only differences are that Karavelov claimed Levski was tall rather than of medium height, while Furnadzhiev noted that his moustache was light brown and his eyes appeared hazel. Levski began his education at

1512-510: Is evident in his correspondence dating from 1871 to 1872; at the time, his views on the revolution had clearly matured. As IRO expanded, it coordinated its activities more with the Bucharest-based BRCC. On Levski's initiative, a general assembly was called between 29 April and 4 May 1872. At the assembly, the delegates approved a programme and a statute, elected Lyuben Karavelov as the organisation's leader and authorised Levski as

1596-484: Is gained mostly from renewable energy sources. During the 1980s, electrification of the monastery of Hilandar took place, generating power mostly for lights and heating. In 1990, Hilandar was converted from an idiorrhythmic monastery into a cenobitic one. On March 4, 2004, there was a devastating fire at the Hilandar monastery, which destroyed much of the walled complex and all the wooden elements. The library and

1680-685: Is known to have dyed his hair and to have worn a variety of national costumes. In the autumn of 1871, Levski and Angel Kanchev published the Instruction of the Workers for the Liberation of the Bulgarian People , a BRCC draft statute containing ideological, organisational and penal sections. It was sent out to the local committees and to the diasporic community for discussion. The political and organisational experience that Levski amassed

1764-789: Is observed annually across Bulgaria on 19 February instead of 18 February, due to the erroneous calculation of 19th-century Julian calendar dates after Bulgaria adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1916. Although the location of Levski's grave has not been determined, some of his hair is on exhibit at the National Museum of Military History . After Levski gave up monkhood in 1863, he shaved his hair, which his mother and later his sister Yana preserved. Levski's personal items—such as his silver Christian cross, his copper water vessel, his Gasser revolver, made in Austria-Hungary in 1869, and

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1848-557: Is one of the twenty Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Mount Athos in Greece and the only Serbian Orthodox monastery there. It was founded in 1198 by two Serbs from Grand Principality of Serbia , Stefan Nemanja (Saint Symeon) and his son Saint Sava . St. Symeon was the former Grand Prince of Serbia (1166–1196) who upon relinquishing his throne took monastic vows and became an ordinary monk . He joined his son Saint Sava who

1932-537: Is thought to have visited Plovdiv, Perushtitsa , Karlovo, Sopot, Kazanlak , Sliven , Tarnovo , Lovech , Pleven and Nikopol , establishing links with local patriots. After a two-month stay in Bucharest, Vasil Levski returned to Bulgaria for a second tour, lasting from 1 May to 26 August 1869. On this tour he carried proclamations printed in Romania by the political figure Ivan Kasabov. They legitimised Levski as

2016-486: Is time, by a single deed, to achieve what our French brothers have been seeking..." Levski held that all religious and ethnic groups in a free Bulgaria—whether Bulgarians, Turks , Jews or others—should enjoy equal rights . He reiterated that the Bulgarian revolutionaries fought against the sultan's government, not against the Turkish people and their religion: "We're not driving away the Turkish people nor their faith, but

2100-657: The Crusader Latin plunder, King Uroš the Great constructed a large fortification surrounding the monastery with the protective tower named after the Transfiguration of Christ . King Dragutin also expanded proceeds to the monastery and land or metochion income. He participated in improving and reinforcing defensive fortifications. Following the end of the Latin Occupation of this part of Byzantium,

2184-778: The Entry of the Lady Theotokos into the Temple between 1198-1200, while also adding Saint Sava 's Tower, the Kambanski Tower, and Saint Symeon 's monastic chambers - cells. Saint Symeon 's middle son and Saint Sava 's older brother, Serbian Grand Prince Stefan "the First-Crowned" King provided financial resources for this restoration. As Hilandar's founder, Saint Symeon issued a special founding charter or chrysobulls , which survived until World War II , when it

2268-646: The Internal Revolutionary Organisation (IRO), was centred around the Lovech Central Committee, also called "BRCC in Bulgaria" or the "provisional government". The goal of the committees was to prepare for a coordinated uprising. The network of committees was at its densest in the central Bulgarian regions, particularly around Sofia, Plovdiv and Stara Zagora. Revolutionary committees were also established in some parts of Macedonia , Dobruja and Strandzha and around

2352-589: The Metohija region of Serbia . Saint Symeon died in the monastery on February 13, 1200 where he was buried next to the main church of the Entry of the Lady Theotokos into the Temple . His body remained in Hilandar until 1208 when his myrrh -flowing remains were transferred to Serbia and interred into the mother-church of all Serbian churches the Studenica Monastery according to his original desire, which he previously completed in 1196. Following

2436-462: The " sick man of Europe ". The reforms planned by the sultans faced insuperable difficulties. Bulgarian nationalism gradually emerged during the mid-19th century with the economic upsurge of Bulgarian merchants and craftsmen, the development of Bulgarian-funded popular education, the struggle for an autonomous Bulgarian Church and political actions towards the formation of a separate Bulgarian state. The First and Second Serbian Uprisings had laid

2520-464: The "namesake monk of royal blood from a faraway land" who would experience, during his pilgrimage to the monastery, the fall of his hegumen cane to the floor, previously affixed above his grave, while venerating icons and praying on that spot. Serbian kings Stefan Radoslav and Stefan Vladislav , who were Saint Sava 's nephews, significantly endowed the monastery with new land possessions and proceeds. In order to effectively deal with consequences of

2604-492: The 14th century. The monastery owes this fortune to its very experienced and skillful deputy hegumen at the time Danilo, who later became the Serbian Archbishop Danilo II . Consequently, Serbian King Milutin played a major role in building the Hilandar monastery complex by reconstructing and expanding it. In 1320 he completely reconstructed the main church of the Entry of the Lady Theotokos into

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2688-495: The 17th century the number of Serbian monks dwindled, and the disastrous fire in 1722 saw a decline: in his account of 1745, Russian pilgrim Vasily Barsky wrote that Hilandar was headed by Bulgarian monks, even though the presence of Serbian monks was also noted. Ilarion Makariopolski , Sophronius of Vratsa and Matey Preobrazhenski had all lived there, and it was in this monastery that Saint Paisius of Hilendar began his revolutionary Slavonic-Bulgarian History . The monastery

2772-660: The 1980s, writer Nikolay Haytov campaigned for the Church of St. Petka of the Saddlers as Levski's burial place, which the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences concluded as possible yet unverifiable. Levski's death intensified the crisis in the Bulgarian revolutionary movement, and most IRO committees soon disintegrated. Nevertheless, five years after Levski's hanging, the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 secured

2856-530: The BRCC executive body's only legitimate representative in the Bulgarian lands. After attending the assembly, Levski returned to Bulgaria and reorganised IRO's internal structure in accordance with BRCC's recommendations. Thus, the Lovech Central Committee was reduced to a regular local committee, and the first region-wide revolutionary centres were founded. The lack of funds, however, precipitated

2940-458: The Emperor himself, Dusan's aristocracy also supported the monastery. In 1347 Emperor Dusan sought refuge in Hilandar while escaping the plague pandemics that devastated Europe. He also took his wife Empress Jelena with him, thus creating a precedent and violating the strict tradition of "avaton" that bars women from stepping into Mount Athos. Oral tradition holds that during her stay in Hilandar,

3024-817: The Empress was not allowed to plant her foot on the Athos ground as she was carried around by her escort. In memory of Emperor Dusan's visit, the Hilandar monks erected big cross and planted the "imperial olive tree " on the spot where they welcomed him. Serbian Emperor also built the Church of St. Archangels and expanded the monastery's hospital around 1350, while Empress Jelena endowed the Karyes monastic cell dedicated to St. Sava which belongs to Hilandar. Both Hilandar and Mount Athos already enjoyed tremendous reverence in Serbia as

3108-564: The First Bulgarian Legion was disbanded under Ottoman pressure on 12 September 1862. His courage during training and fighting earned him his nickname Levski ("Lionlike"). After the legion's disbandment, Levski joined Ilyo Voyvoda 's detachment at Kragujevac , but returned to Rakovski in Belgrade after discovering that Ilyo's plans to invade Bulgaria had failed. In the spring of 1863, Levski returned to Bulgarian lands after

3192-501: The Ottoman Empire. The insurrection was to be prepared, controlled and coordinated internally by a central revolutionary organisation, which was to include local revolutionary committees in all parts of Bulgaria and operate independently from any foreign factors. Levski's theory resulted from the repeated failures to implement Rakovski's ideas effectively, such as the use of foreign-based armed detachments (чети, cheti ) to provoke

3276-540: The Rights of Man and of the Citizen , and largely reflecting the liberal ideas of the French Revolution and contemporary Western society . He said, "We will be free in complete liberty where the Bulgarian lives: in Bulgaria, Thrace, Macedonia; people of whatever ethnicity live in this heaven of ours, they will be equal in rights to the Bulgarian in everything. We will have a flag that says, 'Pure and sacred republic'... It

3360-537: The Second Bulgarian Legion, an organisation similar to its predecessor and its goals. Levski was a prominent member of the Legion, but between February and April 1868 he suffered from a gastric condition that required surgery. Bedridden, he could not participate in the Legion's training. After the Legion was again disbanded under political pressure, Levski attempted to reunite with his compatriots, but

3444-544: The Temple which finally took its present shape as it became a symbol of Hilandar. The monastery complex was expended further north to encompass new monastic cells and fortifications. During his reign, several towers were completed, notably the Milutin Tower, located between monastery's docks and its eastern wall, and the Hrussiya or Basil's Tower situated on the shore. Milutin also added a new main entrance gate which

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3528-567: The Three Hands ( Trojeručica ) is considered the monastery's abbess. The monastery contains about 45 working monks. The etymological meaning of "Hilandar" is probably derived from the Greek word chelandion , which is a type of Byzantine transport ship, whose skipper was called " helandaris ". The monastery was founded in 1198; prompted by the Mount Athos monastic community, Byzantine Emperor Alexios III Angelos (1195–1203) issued

3612-598: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 230112128 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:51:57 GMT Hilandar The Hilandar Monastery ( / h ˈ ɪ l ə n d ə r / , HEE -ləhn-dəhr , Serbian Cyrillic : Манастир Хиландар , romanized :  Manastir Hilandar , Serbian pronunciation: [xilǎndaːr] , Greek : Μονή Χιλανδαρίου )

3696-693: The committee archive in Lovech, which would constitute important evidence if seized by the Ottomans. He stayed at the nearby village inn in Kakrina , where he was surprised and arrested on the morning of 27 December 1872. Starting with the writings of Lyuben Karavelov, it was widely accepted that a priest named Krastyo Nikiforov betrayed Levski to the police. This theory has been disputed by the researchers like Ivan Panchovski and Vasil Boyanov for lack of evidence. Initially taken to Tarnovo for interrogation, Levski

3780-542: The day they name as January 12 currently falls on January 25 of the modern Gregorian Calendar . The monastery also possesses the Wonderworking Icon of the Theotokos "Of the Three Hands" (Greek: Tricherusa , Serbian: Тројеручицa), traditionally associated with a miraculous healing of St. John Damascene . Around the year 717, St. John became a monk at Mar Sabbas monastery outside of Jerusalem and gave

3864-423: The emigrant detachment strategy for internal propaganda, Levski undertook his first tour of the Bulgarian lands to engage all layers of Bulgarian society for a successful revolution. On 11 December 1868, he travelled by steamship from Turnu Măgurele to Istanbul , the starting point of a trek that lasted until 24 February 1869, when Levski returned to Romania. During this canvassing and reconnaissance mission, Levski

3948-474: The emperor and his laws (in a word, the Turkish government), which has been ruling not only us, but the Turk himself in a barbarian way." Levski was prepared to sacrifice his life for the revolution and place Bulgaria and the Bulgarian people above personal interests: "If I shall win, I shall win for the entire people. If I shall lose, I shall lose only myself." In a liberated Bulgaria, he did not envision himself as

4032-667: The end of the 14th century, Hilandar served as a refuge to numerous members of Serbian nobility. The Byzantine Empire was conquered in the 15th century by the Ottoman Turks and their newly established Ottoman Empire . The Athonite monks tried to maintain functioning relations with the Ottoman sultans and following Murad II 's occupation of Thessaloniki in 1430 they pledged their obedience to him. Murad II left Mount Athos its self-rule and allocated for some remaining privileges. Hilandar retained its property rights and autonomy in

4116-605: The fall of the Serbian Despotate to the Ottoman Turks in 1459, Hilandar lost major guardians and benefactors as its brotherhood looked for support from other sources. For a period of time, the Wallachians provided patronage to the monastery, initiated by Mara Branković , daughter of the Serbian despot Đurađ Branković . In 1503, the wife of Serbian Despot Stefan Brankovic , Angelina Brankovic asked for

4200-564: The first time Grand Prince of Moscow Vasili III Ivanovich to protect the monastery. Deputy hegumen Paisios with three other monks visited Moscow in 1550 and inquired about help and protection at High Porte in Istanbul from Russian Tsar Ivan IV , also known as Ivan the Terrible . He took Hilandar under his personal protection and built the new monastic cells. In March 1556, Tsar Ivan IV Vasilyevich , whose maternal grandmother Ana Jakšić

4284-713: The following year, Levski was active in the Romanian capital Bucharest. He was in contact with revolutionary writer and journalist Lyuben Karavelov, whose participation in the foundation of the Bulgarian Literary Society Levski approved in writing. Karavelov's publications gathered a number of followers and initiated the foundation of the Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee (BRCC), a centralised revolutionary diasporic organisation that included Levski as

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4368-485: The foreign-based detachment strategy of the past. In Romania , Levski helped institute the Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee , composed of Bulgarian expatriates. During his tours of Bulgaria, Levski established a wide network of insurrectionary committees. Ottoman authorities, however, captured him at an inn near Lovech and executed him by hanging in Sofia . Levski looked beyond the act of liberation and envisioned

4452-456: The foundation of an autonomous Serbia during the late 1810s, and Greece had been established as an independent state in 1832, in the wake of the Greek War of Independence . However, support for gaining independence through an armed struggle against the Ottomans was not universal. Revolutionary sentiment was concentrated largely among the more educated and urban sectors of the populace. There

4536-456: The hinterland. This was additionally confirmed and secured in 1457 by Sultan Mehmed II following the 1453 Fall of Constantinople . Thus, the Athonite independence was somewhat ensured. In the second half of the 15th century, Hilandar moved to third place in the hierarchy of Athionite monasteries. It also became a refuge for Serbian monks seeking to evade the conflicts of the time. Following

4620-562: The icon to the monastic community there. Later the icon was offered to St. Sava of Serbia , who gave it to the Hilandar. A copy of the icon was sent to Russia in 1661, from which time it has been highly venerated in the Russian Orthodox Church . This icon has two feast days: June 28 (July 11) and July 12 (July 25). Also Emperor Stefan Dušan 's sword is in the monastery treasure . There are some 1200 Slavic manuscripts. Archives include 172 Greek and 154 Serbian documents from

4704-462: The liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule in the wake of the April Uprising of 1876 . The Treaty of San Stefano of 3 March 1878 established the Bulgarian state as an autonomous Principality of Bulgaria under de jure Ottoman suzerainty. At the end of the 1860s, Levski developed a revolutionary theory that saw the Bulgarian liberation movement as an armed uprising of all Bulgarians in

4788-447: The miraculous icon of the Three-handed Theotokos ( Trojeručica ) painted by St. John of Damascus . According to St. John of Damascus ' last will, he ordered the Mar Saba monastery brethren to add this miraculous icon to the old prophesy made by the monastery's founder Saint Sabbas the Sanctified . Saint Sabbas the Sanctified adjured his monks centuries earlier to donate the icon of the Milk-feeding Theotokos and his hegumen cane to

4872-412: The monastery's deputy hegumen Sava became Serbian Patriarch Sava IV . Following Emperor Dusan's death in 1355, the monastery prospered even further. In addition to Dusan's son Serbian Emperor Uros V , powerful noblemen also supported Hilandar, such as Prince Lazar Hrebeljanovic who constructed the narthex along the west side of the main Entry of the Lady Theotokos into the Temple Church in 1380. By

4956-446: The monastery's estate in Greece. At the time of Serbian King and Emperor Dusan , the whole Mount Athos came under his sovereign power. This is the period of Hilandar's greatest prosperity. The Emperor significantly supported the monastery and bequeathed a number of land possessions in Serbia and Greece to it. Ever since his reign (14th century) and until today, Hilandar owns one fifth of the entire landmass on Athos . In addition to

5040-406: The monastery's many historic icons were saved or otherwise untouched by the fire. Vast reconstruction efforts to restore Hilandar are underway. Among the numerous relics and other holy objects treasured at the monastery is the Wonderworking Icon of the Theotokos "Of the Akathist ", the feast day of which is celebrated on January 12. Since Mount Athos uses the traditional Julian Calendar ,

5124-419: The more peripheral urban centres Kyustendil , Vratsa and Vidin . IRO committees purchased armaments and organised detachments of volunteers. According to one study, the organisation had just over 1,000 members in the early 1870s. Most members were intellectuals and traders, though all layers of Bulgarian society were represented. Individuals obtained IRO membership in secrecy: the initiation ritual involved

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5208-422: The organisation into a crisis, and Levski's solitary judgements on important strategic and tactical matters were increasingly questioned. In that situation, Levski's assistant Dimitar Obshti robbed an Ottoman postal convoy in the Arabakonak pass on 22 September 1872, without approval from Levski or the leadership of the movement. While the robbery was successful and provided IRO with 125,000 groschen , Obshti and

5292-510: The organisation, he shared administrative responsibilities with assistants such as monk-turned-revolutionary Matey Preobrazhenski , the adventurous Dimitar Obshti , and the young Angel Kanchev . Apocryphal and semi-legendary anecdotal stories surround the creation of Levski's Internal Revolutionary Organisation. Persecuted by the Ottoman authorities who offered 500 Turkish liras for his death and 1000 for his capture, Levski resorted to disguises to evade arrest during his travels. For example, he

5376-439: The other perpetrators were soon arrested. The preliminary investigation and trial revealed the revolutionary organisation's size and its close relations with BRCC. Obshti and other prisoners made a full confession and revealed Levski's leading role. Realising that he was in danger, Levski decided to flee to Romania, where he would meet Karavelov and discuss these events. First, however, he had to collect important documentation from

5460-403: The overthrow of Ottoman rule. Abandoning his service as a monk, Levski enlisted as a volunteer. At the time, relations between the Serbs and their Ottoman suzerains were tense. During the Battle of Belgrade in which Turkish forces entered the city, Levski and the Legion distinguished themselves in repelling them. Further militant conflicts in Belgrade were eventually resolved diplomatically, and

5544-474: The population. His activity caused suspicion among the Ottoman authorities, and he was forced to move. From the spring of 1866 to the spring of 1867, he taught in Enikyoy and Kongas , two Northern Dobruja villages near Tulcea . In November 1866, Levski visited Rakovski in Iaşi . Two revolutionary bands led by Panayot Hitov and Filip Totyu had been inciting the Bulgarian diaspora community in Romania to invade Bulgaria and organise anti-Ottoman resistance. On

5628-448: The recommendation of Rakovski, Vasil Levski was selected as the standard-bearer of Hitov's detachment. In April 1867, the band crossed the Danube at Tutrakan , moved through the Ludogorie region and reached the Balkan Mountains. After skirmishing, the band fled to Serbia through Pirot in August. In Serbia, the government was again favourable towards the Bulgarian revolutionaries' aspirations and allowed them to establish in Belgrade

5712-408: The relocation of Saint Symeon 's remains, what would eventually become world-famous grapevines began growing on the spot of his old tomb, which gives to this day miraculous grapes and seeds that are shipped all over as a form of blessing to childless married couples. Following his father's death, Saint Sava moved to his Karyes hermitage cell, where he finished the writing of the Karyes Typikon ,

5796-422: The representative of a Bulgarian provisional government . Vasil Levski travelled to Nikopol, Pleven, Karlovo, Plovdiv, Pazardzhik , Perushtitsa, Stara Zagora, Chirpan , Sliven, Lovech, Tarnovo, Gabrovo , Sevlievo and Tryavna . According to some researchers, Levski established the earliest of his secret committees during this tour, but those assumptions are based on uncertain data. From late August 1869 to May

5880-517: The reverse. The town of Levski and six villages around the country have also been named in his honour. The Antarctic Place-names Commission of Bulgaria named an Antarctic ridge and peak on Livingston Island of the South Shetland Islands Levski Ridge and Levski Peak respectively. The life of Vasil Levski has been widely featured in Bulgarian literature and popular culture. Poet and revolutionary Hristo Botev dedicated his last work to Levski, "The Hanging of Vasil Levski". The poem, an elegy ,

5964-502: The shackles from his imprisonment in Sofia—are also exhibited in the military history museum, while Levski's sabre can be seen in the Lovech regional museum. Vasil Levski is referenced by the video game Star Citizen , in which future society "The People's Alliance of Levski" adopt an ideology based upon his views. A pond in the Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano, Texas is named in honor of Vasil Levski. Sub-Balkan valleys Too Many Requests If you report this error to

6048-779: The town of Sofia, Sticks up, I saw, black gallows , And your only son, Bulgaria, Hangs on it with fearsome strength. Hristo Botev 's "The Hanging of Vasil Levski" (1875) In cities and villages across Bulgaria, Levski's contributions to the liberation movement are commemorated with numerous monuments, and many streets bear his name. Monuments to Levski also exist outside Bulgaria—in Belgrade, Serbia, Dimitrovgrad , Serbia, Parcani , Transnistria, Moldova , Bucharest, Romania, Paris, France, Washington, D.C., United States, and Buenos Aires , Argentina. Three museums dedicated to Levski have been organised: one in Karlovo, one in Lovech and one in Kakrina. The Monument to Vasil Levski in Sofia

6132-571: The whole Athos came under the Latin Occupation which exposed the Athonite monasteries to an unprecedented pillage. As a result, Saint Sava travelled to Serbia to secure more resources and support for the monastery. He also undertook a voyage to the Holy Land where he visited The Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified in Palestine . There he received Hilandar's most revered relic,

6216-674: Was already in Mount Athos and who later became the first Archbishop of Serbia . Upon its foundation, the monastery became a focal point of the Serbian religious and cultural life, as well as assumed the role of "the first Serbian university". It is ranked fourth in the Athonite hierarchy of 20 sovereign monasteries. It is regarded as the historical Serbian monastery on Mount Athos, traditionally inhabited by Serbian Orthodox monks . The Mother of God through her Icon of

6300-491: Was arrested in Zaječar and briefly imprisoned. Upon his release he went to Romania, where Hadzhi Dimitar and Stefan Karadzha were mobilising revolutionary detachments. For various reasons, including his stomach problems and strategic differences, Levski did not participate. In the winter of 1868, he became acquainted with poet and revolutionary Hristo Botev and lived with him in an abandoned windmill near Bucharest . Rejecting

6384-656: Was by birth member the Serbian Jakšić noble family and paternal great-great-grandmother Helena, Empress Consort of Byzantium was also Serbian, also granted the Hilandar Monastery a plot of land with all necessary buildings in Moscow within a short walking distance from the Kremlin . The 16th century saw the monastery acquire significant estate in the area, cementing their presence in the Mount Athos region. In

6468-620: Was destroyed as a result of the Operation Punishment and the notorious April 6, 1941 Nazi Germany bombing of Belgrade that leveled to the ground the National Library of Serbia building in Kosancicev Venac . Following 1199, hundreds of monks from Serbia moved to the monastery, while large pieces of land, metochions and tax proceeds from numerous villages were provided to the monastery, especially from

6552-402: Was dominated by Bulgarians until the late 19th century. However, in 1913, Serbian presence on Athos was quite big and the Athonite protos was the Serbian representative of Hilandar. In the 1970s, the Greek government offered power grid installation to all of the monasteries on Mount Athos. The Holy Council of Mount Athos refused, and since then every monastery generates its own power, which

6636-840: Was erected on the site of his execution. Several institutions in Bulgaria have been named in Vasil Levski's honour; these include the football and sports club of Levski Sofia , Levski Sofia (sports club) , the Vasil Levski National Sports Academy and the Vasil Levski National Military University . Bulgaria's national stadium bears the name Vasil Levski National Stadium . The 1000 Bulgarian leva banknote, in circulation between 1994 and 1999, featured Levski's portrait on its obverse side and his monument in Sofia on

6720-535: Was less support for an organized revolt among the peasantry and the wealthier merchants and traders, who feared that Ottoman reprisals would jeopardize economic stability and widespread rural land ownership. Vasil Levski was born Vasil Ivanov Kunchev on 18 July 1837 in the town of Karlovo, within the Ottoman Empire's European province of Rumelia . He was the namesake of his maternal uncle, Archimandrite (superior abbot) Vasil (Василий, Vasiliy ). Levski's parents, Ivan Kunchev and Gina Kuncheva (née Karaivanova), came from

6804-460: Was probably written in late 1875. Prose and poetry writer Ivan Vazov devoted an ode to the revolutionary. Eponymously titled "Levski", it was published as part of the cycle Epic of the Forgotten . Levski has also inspired works by writers Hristo Smirnenski and Nikolay Haytov, among others. Songs devoted to Levski can be found in the folklore tradition of Macedonia as well. In February 2007,

6888-498: Was promoted in 1859 to hierodeacon , which later inspired one of Levski's informal nicknames, The Deacon (Дякона, Dyakona ). Inspired by Georgi Sava Rakovski 's revolutionary ideas, Levski left for the Serbian capital Belgrade during the spring of 1862. In Belgrade, Rakovski had been assembling the First Bulgarian Legion , a military detachment formed by Bulgarian volunteers and revolutionary workers seeking

6972-465: Was sent to Sofia on 4 January. There, he was taken to trial. While he acknowledged his identity, he did not reveal his accomplices or details related to his organisation, taking full blame. Ottoman authorities sentenced Levski to death by hanging. The sentence was carried out on 18 February 1873 in Sofia, where the Monument to Vasil Levski now stands. The location of Levski's grave is uncertain, but in

7056-404: Was thereby handed over to Saint Sava and Saint Symeon with the mission of establishing and endowing a new monastery, elevated to the imperial rank. Since then, the monastery became a cornerstone of the religious, educational and cultural life of Serbian people . Upon securing Serbian authority within the monastery, Saint Sava and Saint Symeon jointly constructed the monastery's Church of

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