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Bulgarian state delegation visits Mount Athos

Newly Appointed Hegumen of Zograf Monastery Shows Miraculous Icons of St. George to Visiting State Delegation

Konstantin Karagyozov, Nikolay Trifonov, Anna Vladimirova
Newly Appointed Hegumen of Zograf Monastery Shows Miraculous Icons of St. George to Visiting State Delegation
Newly Appointed Hegumen of Zograf Monastery Shows Miraculous Icons of St. George to Visiting State Delegation
Archimandrite Gabriel (right) shows Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev the miraculous icons of St. George kept in the Zograf Monastery in Mount Athos, May 10, 2025 (BTA Photo/Nikola Uzunov)
Zograf Monastery, Mt Athos, Greece,  
10.05.2025 15:49
 (BTA)

The newly elected hegumen of the Zograf (Zographou) Monastery, Archimandrite Gabriel, presented the miraculous icons of St. George to a visiting state delegation. The delegation is led by Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev. It also includes three other ministers – Agriculture and Food Minister Georgi Tahov, Economy and Industry Minister Petar Dilov, Youth and Sports Minister Ivan Peshev, as well as Bulgaria’s Consul General in Thessaloniki, Greece, Anton Markov.

Archimandrite Gabriel told BTA the story of the restoration of one of the monastery's revered icons – the Miraculous Icon of St. George from Arabia. "It was quite darkened. The varnish traditionally used on icons is organic and contains no UV protection. After 70–80 years, the varnish turns black. A fresh layer needs to be applied to dissolve the one underneath and bring light back to the icon," he explained.

The restoration process began between 2010 and 2012, with the main goal of stabilizing the painted surface and brightening the icon. "But the restorer managed to uncover something more - a hidden inscription beneath a thick layer of paint," Father Gabriel said. It was revealed that the icon depicted St. George from the ancient city of Diospolis. However, since there were ten cities with that name in the Roman Empire, identifying the specific location was initially impossible. Later, it was determined that the reference pointed to an Arab settlement dating back to the 4th century. That is why the icon came to be known as The Arab icon.

On Sunday, May 11, a solemn liturgy and the enthronement of the newly elected hegumen will take place in the main church of the Zograf Monastery. The ceremony will be attended by the spiritual and administrative leadership of the Monastic community of Mount Athos, representatives of the Greek state, as well as hegumens and monks from other Athonite monasteries.

On the Feast of Saint George, May 6, Father Gabriel, was elevated from hieromonk to archimandrite.

/KK/

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By 21:45 on 10.05.2025 Today`s news

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