Repairs to the 20-metre bell tower at St George the Victorious Monastery in Pomorie are finished, and the courtyard around its healing spring has been fully renovated, the monastery and Pomorie council said.
Pilgrims and visitors can now use the new space around the spring. The council said today that the repairs and landscaping of the courtyard are complete. Work began last autumn with the blessing of Metropolitan Arsenius of Sliven.
The courtyard has a new slope layout and a new drainage system, which protects the church's foundations. Stone slabs have replaced the old worn paving, green areas have been laid out, and the fence has been renovated. Most of the money came from the budget of the Sliven Metropolis, topped up with donations.
The council says the area around the spring is now safer, better looking and open to all visitors.
Urgent restoration and building work on the bell tower is also done. The whole roof of the tower has a new metal covering. The dome has been fully repaired, with a new roof frame and the same metal cladding that locals in Pomorie know well.
The bell tower was built in 1966 on the idea of the then abbot, Father Stefan. It stands right above the miraculous spring with healing water, the monastery's greatest holy site, and the spring rises in the foundations of the tower. Over the years the tower became the architectural symbol of the complex. It had only partial repairs before.
The monastery church dates from 1856. Pomorie Monastery is the only working men's monastery in south-east Bulgaria.