Virgin Mary – Mother of Holy Hope Foundation
History
The sanctuary of Virgin Mary – Mother of Holy Hope, commonly called by the locals the German church, is located in the eastern part of the village of Bardarski geran. The church was built in 1929 within the German district detached in this part of the village, inhabited by Banat Bulgarian Catholics who returned to their motherland in 1889 after the Ottoman slavery was ended. They were followed by German families – Schwabs, with which they lived together in the district of Banat (part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at that time). The two communities were cooperating well – the Bulgarians were very good at farming and the Germans were excelling in crafting. Thus, they decided to keep this symbiosis and moved out together to Bulgaria creating a peculiar spiritual, architectural, cultural and agricultural Catholic center.
Despite the fact the two communities had a lot in common, they wanted to preserve their identities and insisted on creating two Catholic churches, two separate schools. Two hemispheres still part of the same globe.
In 1913 the German community appealed the bishop of the diocese Damyan Theelen (Giovanni Guiseppe Theelen) to permit and support the establishment of a German school where nuns from the Benedictine order would look after and educate the children of the community. In 1925 the complex was finished. The area of 10 decares became the home of a monastery, a school (and a kindergarten), as well as a church called “Virgin Mary – Mother of Holy Hope”. There were courses in German for children and adults and the attendees were both Banat Bulgarians and Germans, which witnesses the collaboration and cooperation between the two communities.
Unfortunately, there is a lack of sources of information concerning the story of the building activities, sketches, plans, files or archives of any official documentation. The only explanation we have for this is that our ancestors’ deeds were sublime and they had the faith that the future generations would value, preserve and carry over the heritage they would leave.
The end of this fairytale was put during the World War II. Hitler issued an order stating that all Germans based in Eastern Europe must move back to Germany. From 1941 to 1943 2,150 Germans, who lived and worked in Bulgaria, left the country. Among them there were 164 people who lived in Bardarski geran. The deportation happened overnight. There were people who woke up in the morning and went to the complex to work or to take their children to school only to see it was desolate.
In the end of 1943 there was one last large group of Banat Bulgarians who returned from Banat to Bardarski geran. They were accommodated in the abandoned German estates in the eastern part of the village. There still were masses held in the church. However, with the establishment of communism in Bulgaria in 1946 all religious activities were slowly quenched, which resulted in the closure of the Virgin Mary church and the complex as a whole.
Present
The German church was left in ruins, depravity, disbelief and oblivion for more than 70 years. Despite that, it continues to raise its torn body in the eastern part of the village, reminding us of itself, of the past, of the present, giving us a hint about the future, which does not seem bright at all.
A few years ago the nuns from the Benedictine order decided to sell the property as they had neither financial, nor human resources to take care of it. Its condition was quite bad, not only because of the meteorological conditions, but also because there were people without faith, ethical, moral and humane qualities who contributed to the complete pillage of the school, the monastery and of the church.
In 2018, with God’s blessings, the family of Mariela Kalcheva and Kalin Yozov from Bardarski geran, became the new owner of the German complex. It took them some time to accept the fact that they own a church and to consider how to proceed because of the shocking and poor condition of the buildings. First and foremost, they decided to do their best to save and reconstruct the church no matter how difficult and challenging it might be. Their faith in God, personal responsibility, mindset, values and the good example they want to give to their children – Mariya and Robert, give them motivation and hope that their cause is worthy and would find support among good people to complete this mission together.
On 11th May 2021 – the feast day of the Apostles of the Slavs Saints Cyril and Methodius, declared by Pope John Paul II for co-patron saints of Europe, the Virgin Mary – Mother of Holy Hope Foundation was established. There is a special symbolism implied. Above the altar of the church there are frescos of the Saints Cyril and Methodius in gratitude for Christianizing the Danubian Slavs and for influencing the religious and cultural development of all Slavic peoples.
We hope that together we will manage to save that sacred and special piece of culture that represents a period of enlightenment, revival and architectural mastery in Bardarski geran.
The Dutch trace
Have you ever paid attention to the memorial above the main entrance of the church of Virgin Mary – Mother of Holy Hope?
It says:
Zum ewigen Andenken an die Stifterin dieser Kirche Fräulein Cornelia Th. M. E. Schade
Oosterbeek – 1933 – Holland
Meaning:
In memory of the founder of this church Miss Cornelia Th. M. E. Schade Oosterbeek – 1933 – Holland
Digging feelingly into the World Wide Web as a first and fastest source of information we encountered archives containing brief chronology of events concerning Cornalia Th. M. E. Schade and her family.
In 1887 Carl Marie Franz Schade (1849-1920) married Theresia Maria Anna Elisabeth Diekman (1848-1936). They lived in Amsterdam and were running a family business with textiles and female fashion. They had three children – in 1873 Cornelia Theresia Maria Elizabeth was born, followed by her brother Carolus Josephus Maria Romualdus (born in 1875) and her sister – Theresia Maria Antonia Josepha (born in 1880).
Considered as a good entrepreneur, Carl Schade managed to make a good family fortune by purchasing a number of estates in different regions among which Zuidschermer, Oudorp, Oosterbeek, and a few farms in North Holland.
The youngest daughter Theresia Maria Antonia Josepha Schade married Аlphons Maria François Louis Povel in 1906. They lived in Baarn.
The son of Carl and Theresia – Carolus J.M.R. Schade studied in Haarlem and lived in Utrecht for a short period of time. He married Clara Alphonse Johanna Maria Povel in 1908 and the family moved to Amsterdam where Carolus worked in the publishing companies B.F.M. Mensing and C.L. van Langerhuijzen. The second one was a major Catholic publishing company and a bookstore in Holland at that time (both based in Amsterdam).
The eldest daughter Cornelia M. Th. E. Schade remained single. She continued the lifework of her ancestors, who were practicing Catholicism for centuries. At the beginning of the 20th century the Schade family was reported to having made regular donations for the purpose of the Catholic Church. They were benefactors for the reconstruction and the building of churches and provided loans and sponsorship. There was a park in Oosterbeek named after Cornelia Schade in gratitude for her activity, dedication and generosity.
Nowadays the park has been parceled and built up. However, there is a street named after Cornelia Schade that reminds of her deeds and contribution to the development of Oosterbeek and the Catholic Church.
Source: https://heemkunderenkum.nl/oosterbeek-corneliapark/
Thanks to the Dutch archives and movies found online we managed to reach out to the heirs (relatives) of Mrs. Cornalia Schade (Mr. Ernst Schade and Mr. Carol Schade). They were touched and sympathethic to learn that the church still exists and that we are trying to reconstruct it. In the family archive these three photos were found together with letters exchanged between Cornelia Schade, her borther and sister (after her death) and the priest Emil Frohe who is considered to be the missioner who contributed to the establishment of the complex with the support and dedication of Mrs. Cornelia Schade.
About Us
The Virgin Mary – Mother of Holy Hope Foundation is represented by three board members – Mariela Kalcheva, Kalin Yozov and Svetlana Karadzhova, supported by few volunteers.
Together we work hard on an overall conception of our project – sharing and spreading information about our cause and beliefs both in Bulgaria and abroad; building friendship and cooperation with other organizations and benefactors; translating articles and documentation so that we could reach more people; tirelessly looking for opportunities, encouraging and celebrating every small step we make, all thanks to our supporters and donors. We have created a Facebook page where we share exciting posts concerning our wins and progress as well as a website containing the story of the project and where we integrated an international donation platform to facilitate and encourage donations.
Owing to donations and volunteers, we managed to remove the overgrown shrubbery and organize a 3d laser scanning of the church. Through these scans (a laser scanner and a drone), we received a precise 3d model of the building that allowed the architects to make a thorough reconstruction project, which calculated the sum we need to strive for in order to start any reconstruction activities.
Contact Us
3259 Bardarski geran, 20 Vasil Kolarov Str, district of Vratsa
E-mail: contact@virginmaryfound.org
Phone: +359 887 599 522
Donate
If you would like to contribute to our striving, you could make a donation or support us by sharing our idea or visit Bardarski geran and take part in any activities that would be held in future:
IBAN: BG14IABG74731000583401
BIC: IABGBGSF
Holder: “Virgin Mary – Mother of Holy Hope” Foundation
You may also support us by volunteering in any future activities, share our publications and ideas or simply be a friend of ours!
All donors are granted a donation certificate as a sign of gratitude. In case you do not receive it within 5 days after your transfer, please feel free to contact us and request it as we not always have or manage to find your contact details.
If you would like to donate on behalf of a company, we could offer a donation contract. For details, please contact us via phone or mail as listed in the “Contact us” section.
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