site.btaZograf Monastery Hegumen Shows Miracle-working Icons of St George to Bulgarian Delegation Visiting Mt Athos

Hieromonk Gabriel, the newly elected hegumen of Zograf (Zographou) Monastery in Mt Athos, showed miracle-working icons of St George to a delegation from Bulgaria on Monday. The delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov, started a two-day visit to the Bulgarian monastery in the autonomous monastic state within Greece, occasioned by the feast day at Zograf.

Gabriel told the guests how the monastery was built and how, after a prayer, the image of St George appeared miraculously on a blank piece of wood, thus setting him as the patron saint of the place. This became one of the icons kept at Zograf, which the delegation was able to see.

The hegumen explained that the icons stand on pieces of cloth made between the 15th and the 16th century. The embroidery on the cloth was made by worshippers of St George, who put threads of gold into the patterns to express their gratitude. Similarly, the metal cover on the icons was intended not just as a decoration but as a sign of reverence, Gabriel said.

The monastery is named after Georgi Zograf (George the Icon Painter), who is believed to have founded it in the 10th century.

In addition to Deputy PM Zafirov, the traditional Bulgarian pilgrimage for the feast of Zograf Monastery has also brought to Mt Athos Hristo Gadzhev, Chair of the Parliamentary Defence Committee; Deyan Dechev, Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Committee for Bulgarians Abroad; Ventsislav Asenov, Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Regional Policy, Public Works and Local Self-Government; Krasimir Yordanov, Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Food and Forestry; Kalin Stoyanov, Member of Parliament; Filip Popov, Deputy Minister of Interior; Georgi Yordanov, Head of the Executive Agency for People with Disabilities; and Anton Markov, Consul General of Bulgaria in Thessaloniki, Greece. The delegation also includes Kiril Valchev, Director General of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), who arrived at Zograf Monastery together with Bishop Gerasim of Melnik, the Secretary General of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

During the visit to Mount Athos on May 5-6, the members of the Bulgarian delegation are meeting with the spiritual leadership of Mt Athos and will be participating in the evening and night services, a Divine Liturgy and a religious procession with the icon of St Great Martyr George.