When one travels across Bulgaria, they cannot miss the great number of drinking fountains next to roads and forest paths. Often built in incredible places such as century-old forests they never fail to fill the hearts of passers by with gratitude. The joy of the traveler is like a blessing for those who created the fountain, and that is why since ancient times building a drinking fountain has been a sacred thing for Bulgarians. This was also true for a number of people from the mountain village of Bov, who decided to build a fountain near the old “Svetio Kladenets” (The Holy Well) spring near the village. One of these people is Valentin Georgiev:
“In 1933 priests blessed the spring and since then it has been called ‘Svetio kladentes’. It was proven that the water of the spring has very good qualities. According to analyses, it is rich in potassium and helps people with heart problems. Even if kept in a container for over a year, the water does not lose its qualities.”
Some 3 or 4 years ago reaching the place was difficult and the area was deserted. That was when Valentin Georgiev and four other people decided to clean up the area and repair the drinking fountain. They built a pavilion too so people can rest after walking up the steep path.
“It took us three years of work. We did the work with help from the former mayor of the municipality of Svoge Emil Atanasov. He provided us with building materials for the construction of the fountain. The rest was voluntary work. Some people wondered what our benefit was. There is no profit. Our only goal was to make the place accessible and enjoyable for visitors. We are glad that people liked it. At the official opening priest Lubomir blessed the place once again and a great number of people came."
Thanks to the five men the fountain has been gaining popularity and more and more people go up the mountain to pour some water. They enjoy the forest and the beautiful view over the village. In the past two years, however, the water in the spring began to disappear. It turns out that there was a broken pipe linking the spring to the fountain.
"We placed a new pipe,” Valentin explains. “Now water flows well and I am very glad that people have always liked coming to this spring. They drink from it and people from Sofia and the region come to fill up their bottles. Everyone agrees that the water is of superior quality. It was tested in Germany and analyses have proved that its composition is very suitable for babies. We placed a stone plate next to the fountain but we did not put our names on it on purpose. It is not so important who built the fountain but that people use this gift.”Local people tell a number of stories about the healing properties of the “Svetio kladenets” water. In addition to curing allergies, heart and eye diseases, some joke that it also helps young women find a husband. This happened to a woman named Asya who married a local man after coming to the village to find the holy spring.
English: Alexander Markov
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