On April 30th, 1876, something frightful would occur in the peaceful little mountain town of Batak, an event that would leave 5000 men, women, and children reportedly dead, mostly by beheading. You see, the Ottoman representatives in "Bulgaristan" had to teach the population a brutal lesson after it had started the April Revolution only weeks before.
After laying down their arms in exchange for promised leniency, the whole town was ruthlessly put to the sword. As the people, terrified, tried to escape such a horrific fate, many found their way to the walled church in the center of town for protection, barring encroachment to the sanctuary -- and yet unwittingly subjecting themselves to a grueling siege.
Doesn't look exactly unwelcoming, at least not yet ... (apologies for the quality) ...
This pic is not of a crypt, as you might think. If I remember correctly (можете да ми подправяте грешките долу), it was dug by desperate mothers, either in an attempt to tunnel out, or to get water for their dehydrated and dying infants.
Here we can see some of the mortal remains of the doomed families.
This plaque -- barely legible -- marks the founding of the church, as far as I can tell. It is so crudely engraved that I can only suspect there were few literate marble-carvers at the time ;)
Hope it wasn't too depressing a look at the Balkans, but history needs to be recorded and remembered so as to not be repeated.
Stay tuned for more pics on the surrounding area -- they will be much more uplifting, I promise :) Ciao за now!
I really like Bulgaria. I visited Sofia two years ago, because I studied Animals Migrations.
I have appreciate your post, because churches and religions are interesting in my opinion.
Great Job!
I read CIAO in the last part of the article. Are you Italian?
Ciao is also used in Bulgarian, instead of the long word for goodbye, which is blagodarya (благодаря) -- though they write it chao (чао) :) I simply adore languages, and the phrase "Ciao за now" just sounds nice to me -- combining 3 languages into a very short poem :) Glad you liked Bulgaria. Which animals were migrating at the time?
I have to be honest: I do not remember exatly what kind of birds, maybe ducks or something like that.
I am not sure because it was some years ago and I help my uncle in his study.
Maybe you have better information or more details.
What time of the year?
Early summer: maybe late June or the first days of July.
There are many bird species that come through Bulgaria from spring to fall, and in Sofia I see a lot of swallows etc., but it depends on where you went from Sofia.
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Wow! This is a sad history, I hate war and fighting. The result is brutal