Bona Velinova
Read the histories of monasteries around Sofia and one name keeps appearing: Bona Velinova. Local accounts describe a woman who showed people where to dig for a forgotten church or spring. Behind that unusual role was a mother from Grigorevo, left to raise her children alone, who travelled and encouraged communities to rebuild their sacred places.
- Associated places
- Obradovtsi and Bistritsa
- Period covered by the sources
- The 1920s and 1930s
- Main historical theme
- Restoration of churches
A mother from Grigorevo
An account in Sofiyski Vestnik places Bona’s birth in Novoseltsi, now Elin Pelin. She moved to Grigorevo after marrying in 1903. Her husband died in the Balkan War, leaving her with four children after two had already died.
The same account describes her travels and dreams in which she believed saints gave her instructions. People came for advice, and she encouraged searches for the remains of old churches. Her personal story became intertwined with those of entire villages.
A night near Bistritsa
According to the account published by BNR, Bona spent a night near Bistritsa fasting and praying in 1925. The next morning she described a ruined church and indicated where digging should begin. The episode is linked to the rebuilding of the Monastery of Sts Joachim and Anne.
Years of fundraising and construction by local people followed. The new church was consecrated on 6 August 1950. Between the reported vision and that day lay a community’s sustained effort.
Source: BNR: the Bistritsa Monastery
The old walls at Obradovtsi
Bona also appears in the history of St Menas Monastery. BNR records two versions: in one the place came to her in a dream; in the other, local people noticed masonry in 1927 and began digging at her direction.
Donations were later collected and a chapel built. The monastery visitors see today preserves this account of its rebuilding.
Followers and opponents
Bona also had opponents. A 1937 issue of Tserkoven Vestnik fiercely debated the revelations and religious society associated with her. Decades later, a Patriarchate account of a pilgrimage to Klisura Monastery again mentioned her role in finding old foundations.
Source: Tserkoven Vestnik, issue 15, 1937 · Bulgarian Patriarchate: pilgrimage to Klisura Monastery
Predictions and accounts with traceable sources
Bona Velinova and the monastery in Bistritsa
In the tradition recounted by ethnologist Valentina Dineva-Sharlanova, Bona identifies a site after a vision in 1925. The story concerns the restoration of Sts Joachim and Anne Monastery.
- Where and when it was recorded
- A BNR article dated 27 June 2013 recounting an older local tradition.
- What can be established
- This is an account of a vision and a place, not a forecast of a future political event. The monastery’s consecration and the vision story are distinct parts of its history.
Recordings, photographs and reading
- ReadingSts Joachim and Anne Monastery in Bistritsa, BNR
Ethnologist Valentina Dineva-Sharlanova discusses local tradition and the monastery’s restoration.
- ReadingObradovtsi Monastery of St Menas, BNR
- PhotographsBona’s portrait at See Bulgaria
Sources and further reading
- BNR: the Bistritsa Monastery
Valentina Dineva-Sharlanova, IEFSEM at BAS, 27 June 2013.
- BNR: the Obradovo Monastery of St Menas
A historical account presenting different versions of the local tradition.
- Tserkoven Vestnik, issue 15, 1937
A primary source for the contemporary dispute; PDF.
- Sofiyski Vestnik: an account from Grigorevo
Issue 4, 28 January to 3 February 2021, page 12. Family account and portrait.
- Bulgarian Patriarchate: pilgrimage to Klisura Monastery
An account of the monastery’s rebuilding and Bona Velinova.
Painted portrait
