On the day when the 837th anniversary of the rebellion of Peter and Asen is celebrated, the winners of the prize "Sword of Asenevtsi" became Acad. Plamen Kartaloff and prof. Iva Hristova. The prize was established by the "Asenevtsi" Community Committee – V. Tarnovo. The decision to award it was taken in 2020 by the Board of Directors, with the aim to annually award Bulgarians and foreigners who have special merits for the implementation of the programme of the Committee and for Bulgaria. The pandemic has so far thwarted the awards and the first solemn ceremony was held yesterday in a non-coincidental place – in the courtyard of the church "St. Dimitar Solunski".
"This is the first official awarding of the "Sword of Asenevtsi". It is for two worthy Bulgarians who have done so much for our country – one for our spirituality, the other for our health. With a sword similar to this one, the Asenevtsi brothers led the Bulgarians to liberation from the Byzantine slavery," shared Marin Pavlov, Chairman of the "Asenevtsi" Community Committee.
A speech about the work of Asenevtsi was delivered by the Vice-Rector of the Veliko Tarnovo University prof. Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov. "This uprising was a rebellion of Bulgarians, but the Vlach population, the Cumans and the so-called Wanderers – representatives of the Russian principalities were also involved. The Bulgarian state of the Asenevtsi, which very quickly reached a great expansion, was in fact an empire, not coincidentally headed by tsars. Let's remember today about the Asenevtsi brothers and their feat – that they restored the Second Bulgarian Kingdom, which not only changed the political map of Europe, but also largely restored the faded Bulgarian civilization. Which gives to the neighbouring countries namely civilization and culture, because during the time of all the Asenevtsi happened the great cultural achievements", declared prof. Dimitrov.
Winner of the "Sword of Asenevtsi" for his overall creative work and uplifting the spirituality of the Bulgarian people became Acad. Plamen Kartaloff. "I am grateful for the respect and recognition that Veliko Tarnovo residents give to another work, when 35 years ago a handful of enthusiasts, united around a great personality – Maria Maneva, created the first outdoor performances on the historic Tsarevets Hill. Then I gave the name "Stage of the Ages" and indeed in a new Bulgaria, planted by the work of the Asenevtsi 837 years ago, we gave another impulse to our people – to have yet another spiritual support like these spectacles. They continue to delight all who visit them in Tsarevets," said Acad. Plamen Kartaloff.
Winner of the award was also the doctor, representative of the Bulgarian medics who have saved thousands of lives and Director of the National Centre for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Prof. Dr. Iva Hristova. The sword was handed out to her by the chairman of Community Committee "Asenevtsi" Marin Pavlov.
"This award weighs a lot and is a recognition of the dedication, of the enormous efforts made by the representatives of the medical profession, which I represent, in the fight not only against the Covid, but against all diseases. This place is sacred, it was in this church that the uprising began, which led to the restoration of Bulgarian statehood. It is important that this date is commemorated not only by the people of Veliko Tarnovo, but by the whole country," said prof. Iva Hristova, adding that she fully supports the initiative to declare it an official national holiday.
The programme continued with a visit to the monument "Asenevtsi" and acquainting the guests with its history.
The swords are made according to researched images from the time of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. "A similarity of over 96% with the swords of the time was achieved. The design and construction work took about a year," said Marin Pavlov.
Anatoli PETROV
Author
https://www.dnesbg.com/obshtestvo/akad-plamen-kartalov-i-prof-iva-hristova-stanaha-nositeli-na-vmetcha-na-asenevtsiv.html