site.btaVasilyovo Villagers Keep Building Chapel for over 15 Years Through Donations

People in the Bulgarian village of Vasilyovo near the northern town of Teteven have been building a chapel dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin for more than 15 years, funding the project through personal contributions and donations.

Some of the locals' charity initiatives are a 100 pancakes for a cause campaign, photo sales and donation boxes placed in the village and in Teteven.

Still, more than EUR 20,000 are needed to complete the chapel, said the mayor of Vasilyovo, Radoslav Marinov.

Marinov told BTA the chapel was his idea since there is no church in the village. Construction began in 2009-2010 in the courtyard of the mayor's office but has been repeatedly interrupted due to lack of funds.

The mayor said: "The installations are in place, the windows have been fitted and the gutters are done. We are continuing with the flooring. An iconostasis is to be made by woodcarvers from Teteven."