Archimandrite Gabriel Enthroned as Hegumen of Zograf Monastery

Konstantin Karagyozov, Valentin Evstatiev, Dimitrina Solakova

Archimandrite Gabriel is enthroned as Hegumen of the Zograf Monastery in Mt Athos. May 11, 2025 (BTA Photo/Nikolay Trifonov)

Zograf Monastery, Mt Athos, Greece,

11.05.2025 17:23

(BTA)

Archimandrite Gabriel was enthroned as Hegumen of the Zograf (Zographou) Monastery in Mt Athos on Sunday.

The ceremony was attended by a Bulgarian state delegation led by Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev and including Ministers Georgi Tahov of Agriculture and Food, Petar Dilov of Economy and Industry and Ivan Peshev of Youth and Sports, as well as Bulgarian Consul General in Thessaloniki Anton Markov. The Greek government was represented by Deputy Interior Minister Konstantinos Gioulekas. The Protos of Mt Athos and representatives of the monasteries in the region attended the event as well.

Gabriel was elected Hegumen of the Zograf Monastery on April 12. On the Feast of Saint George, May 6, Father Gabriel, was elevated from hieromonk to archimandrite.

Archimandrite Gabriel (secular name Georgi Karatotev) was born on December 11, 1973, in Sofia, Bulgaria. He arrived at the Zograf Monastery on December 20, 1997, and was tonsured as a monk there exactly a year later, on December 20, 1998. On October 24, 2003, he was ordained as a hieromonk. Since early 2003, he has served almost invariably as first epitropos (trustee) of the Zograf Monastery.

Addressing the visiting Bulgarian state delegation on Saturday, Archimandrite Gabriel said that the Athonite community is multinational, and in it one sees how all borders are transcended and how all people can walk together toward God. "We are grateful for the support voiced by the Bulgarian state toward our monastic community. This is extremely important for us. After all, we were born and raised in this country, in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, we were baptized there, we grew up and were shaped into people who would come to live in Athos," he noted.

Gabriel also presented the library of the monastery to the Bulgarian delegation on Saturday. He told the official guests that Slav-Bulgarian History by Paisius of Hilendar played a consolidating role and united people's minds. The Zograf Monastery is where the draft of Slav-Bulgarian History had been preserved and later discovered.

"The story of Paisius played a consolidating role, somehow uniting the minds of the people. This is the power of history. In his time, there were other such written histories, but they failed to accomplish what this history did. The value is that people can read something in their own language, accessible, understandable, that can unite their minds in a common past that can give them a future," Archimandrite Gabriel said in the library. He showed the delegation the oldest document that testifies to the existence of the monastery in 980, when the monastery purchased a neighbouring land.

During the visit of a Bulgarian delegation to the monastery on Mt Athos, it transpired that the construction of the new road to the monastery is progressing actively with the Bulgarian State's support. "It is the only artery connecting the monastery to the outside world. Wagons and mules were used before, while contemporary means are needed today. With the funds allocated last year, a three-kilometre stretch has already been constructed, allowing major reconstruction to begin safely," Archimandrite Gabriel specified.

In mid-2024, Bulgaria’s caretaker government allocated an additional BGN 3 million to launch the repairs. The total cost of the project is estimated at BGN 10 million, to be provided in stages. "With the funds you allocated last year, we managed to construct a three-kilometre section. This allowed us to redirect traffic and begin the core phase of the road renovation," the Hegumen explained.

During the visit to Mount Athos, the delegation also got acquainted with the progress of the restoration of the Bulgarian monastery's east wing, another important project funded by the Bulgarian State.

Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev emphasized that the Zograf Monastery is an integral part of Bulgaria's national identity. "Four Bulgarian ministers are here to express the relationship of the Bulgarian people, Bulgarian Orthodox Christians, and the state to the historical significance, functions, and cherished place that Zograf Monastery holds not only in our historical memory but also as part of our Bulgarian national identity," Georgiev remarked.

The Justice Minister further noted that Father Gabriel has made outstanding contributions to the renewal of the monastic community, increasing the number of monks, and preserving, strengthening, and developing the sacred monastery.

"On behalf of the Bulgarian state, I want to express our readiness for further, unwavering support," Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev told Archimandrite Gabriel on Sunday after the latter’s enthronement as Hegumen of the Zograf Monastery earlier in the day. The statement was made during a festive dinner.

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov wished the newly enthroned hegumen to keep alive the bond with Bulgaria. Writing to Archimandrite Gabriel, Zhelyazkov noted: "I am convinced that you will continue to lead the brotherhood according to Athonite tradition and will safeguard the purity of monastic life and the spiritual legacy of Zograf." The Prime Minister stressed the importance of the Zograf Monastery as "a holy house of prayer and hope, a school of spirituality and literary activity, a custodian of centuries-old tradition and a spiritual pillar for the Bulgarian people, where Bulgarian identity has been built and protected over the centuries and the indomitable Bulgarian spirit has been supported".

/KK/