Saint Mina helps to build the "Exaltation of the Holy Cross of God" church in Sofia

published on 11/11/23 7:35 AM

Photo: vazdvijenie.bg

Today, November 11, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Martyr Mina, one of the most beloved saints in Bulgaria. He is known ‎among the Bulgarian people as a patron of the suffering, the sick, orphans and ‎patron of families. In many homes you will see his face, alongside the icons of ‎the Mother of God and St. John of Rila, and on the day itself, regardless of ‎weather conditions, thousands of believers head to temples and monasteries ‎bearing his name to pay their respects.

‎"Today, the Holy Church honours the memory of the holy martyrs Mina, Victor ‎and Vikentius, but it seems that most of all we honour the feast of Saint Mina who is extremely famous throughout the Orthodox world", noted Father ‎Lyubomir, chairperson of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross of the Lord church in Sofia.

"In fact, people recognize him as a guardian of families and a quick helper. ‎However, it is important to address St. Mina as a saint who, through his God-‎pleasing and righteous life, has stood before the throne of God. May he help us ‎not only to be healthy, but also to be successful on our way to God and to be ‎good people", says the priest.

The story that Father Lyubomir tells about the construction of the temple where ‎he serves is interesting. The consecration of the ground and the first sod were ‎done in 1996, the construction of the church with the original name Saint Mina ‎began two years later, but the construction was frozen. For a long time, the ‎residents of the neighborhood looked with pain at the unfinished building, ‎which rises on the hill above the Lozenets district of the capital.

There is no ‎shortage of donations for the church, but due to difficulties in legalizing it, it was ‎only in 2015 that the Holy Metropolis of Sofia entrusted Father Vasiliy Saryan, ‎head of the Transfiguration Church, to undertake the difficult task of its ‎construction, finishing works and interior design finish in two years, and on ‎October 15, 2017, on the birthday of His Holiness the Bulgarian Patriarch ‎Neophyte, the church was consecrated as the Exaltation of the Holy Cross of God Church ‎and opened its doors to the laity.

According to Father Lyubomir, the name of the ‎current church comes from the name of the area "Krasta" (The Cross) where years ago the ‎people of Sofia built the first monument, as a sign of gratitude to the liberators ‎of Sofia. ‎

‎"However, we honour Saint Mina as our patron, along with the cross, because ‎initially the temple was supposed to be consecrated in honour of Saint Mina", the ‎priest notes and adds:‎

‎"It is precisely because of this fact that many people recognize it as the temple of ‎Saint Mina and pay respect to this saint together with the cross. Coming here to ‎serve as chairman and knowing, of course, the history of this temple, because ‎and I grew up here in the area, I feel an obligation to pay our special respect to ‎the saint. So we decided to build a chapel in the crypt of the temple to be ‎consecrated in honour of Saint Mina, so that we can serve below on his feast day ‎and to celebrate his memory extremely solemnly. On this day, many people ‎prefer to baptize their children. That is why I also tell people when they ask me ‎that the very building of our temple is a miracle performed by Saint Mina.‎

Is it because Saint Mina continues to intercede for the temple in prayer, God's grace unites the priests and the laity, who gather in it like one big family. Its walls are filled with joyful children's noise on Sundays and every church holiday.

With the help of many donors, the repair work in the crypt is nearing its end. ‎There is now a separate room which is used for the children's Sunday School. ‎

There is also an introductory theology course for adults who want to learn the basics of the Orthodox faith. At the moment, they are finishing the wood carving there, and Father Lubomir hopes that God will also send the people to help with the painting and frescoes, and after all that, the chapel will be consecrated. At the end of our conversation, he gives his blessing:

‎"Let's not stop praying for all that we need. Believe that it will be given to you. I ‎wish everyone to be alive and healthy ‎and may through the prayers of the saints ‎celebrated today and Saint Mina and all with ‎ him, God's blessing, his great ‎mercy be upon ‎all of you. Amen!"‎

Photos: vazdvijenie.bg, BGNES, private archive

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Saint Mina helps to build the "Exaltation of the Holy Cross of God" church in Sofia

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