Prepodobna Stoyna
A small room in St George Church in Zlatolist preserves the memory of a blind woman. She was Stoyna Dimitrova, known to visitors as Prepodobna Stoyna. She settled here after her family fled their home village in 1913. People sought her prayers and assistance, and their stories made Zlatolist closely associated with her name.
- Born
- 9 September 1883, Haznatar, Serres region
- Name
- Stoyna Dimitrova
- Died
- 22 December 1933
The blind girl from Haznatar
Stoyna was born on 9 September 1883 in Haznatar, in the Serres region of what is now Greece. Childhood smallpox left her blind. BNT’s biography places the beginnings of accounts about her visions in those early years.
After the Second Balkan War in 1913, her family migrated to Bulgaria. Stoyna remained in Dolna Sushitsa, the village now called Zlatolist. Both names appear in books about her.
Source: BNT: Stoyna Prepodobna
Twenty years in the church
From the migration until her death on 22 December 1933, her life was tied to St George Church. Local recollections describe fasting, prayer and encounters with visitors. They remember a woman who lived simply and took a personal interest in their troubles.
The room and courtyard give today’s visitors a sense of where those encounters took place. The church also contains nineteenth-century frescoes. The work shown here is by Teofil Minov, dated 1876, before Stoyna was born.
Source: BNT: Stoyna Prepodobna · Wikimedia Commons: fresco by Teofil Minov
Why she is called Prepodobna
The name expresses reverence for the way she lived. Those who visited remembered someone who prayed for them and offered help. Stories of miracles continued to be passed on after her death.
The popular title does not amount to official canonisation. Church publications have criticised aspects of her veneration. That disagreement belongs to her history alongside the affection of her followers.
Source: BNT: Stoyna Prepodobna · Tserkoven Vestnik, issue 6, 2001
The voices preserved on film
In 1998, director Svetla Fingova made Stoyna Prepodobna, written by Anna Melyova and Rumyana Atanasova. It gathers stories about her life, the help visitors believed they received and Vanga’s regard for her.
Source: BNT: Stoyna Prepodobna
Recordings, photographs and reading
Rupite and Zlatolist with Bulgaria from End to End
BNT visits the places associated with Vanga and Stoyna and talks with local residents.
Bulgarian National Television · . Watch on YouTubeThe player connects to YouTube when you load it.
- VideoVisiting Zlatolist with BNT, 23 December 2023
The programme also visits Rupite. Stories about Stoyna are told by people preserving her memory.
- ReadingStoyna Prepodobna, a 1998 documentary
Archive description of Svetla Fingova’s film. This is not a link to the full film.
- VideoSt George’s Day at the church, BNT, 6 May 2021
Sources and further reading
- BNT: Stoyna Prepodobna
1998 documentary and biographical introduction.
- Tserkoven Vestnik, issue 6, 2001
Historical theological critique; PDF in the Patriarchate’s archive.
- Wikimedia Commons: fresco by Teofil Minov
Catalogue record for the work and its reproduction.
