Models of Transferring of Sacredness I: The Town of Samokov

Authors:

Pages: 205-214
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54664/SDMM8659

Abstract:

The transferring of sacredness is a complex phenomenon typical of Bulgarian folklore culture. Thus, the folklore rituals can be seen as a straightforward method of the ritual community to reconstruct the structure of Cosmos destroyed by Chaos. All ritual components (such as narratives, gestures, and formulae) aim at accumulating sacredness for the participants in the ritual. The present paper outlines three models of transferring of sacredness used in the town of Samokov and its region. The first model is presented by folklore narratives telling about the severe battles between the army of Tsar Ivan Shishman and the Ottoman invaders, which took place for a long period (7, 9, 30 years) in the region of Samokov. The second model concerns the reuse of Muslim gravestones in the construction of Christian cult buildings during the 19th century (four cases are known). In all these cases, the origin of these materials – Muslim gravestones, was not hidden. The third model concerns two cases from the 15th–18th centuries when a second and third patrons were added to orthodox churches in Samokov region. In this way was preserved the memory for churches destroyed during the Ottoman invasion and occupation in the 14th century.

Keywords:

sacredness, models, Samokov, Tsar Ivan Shishman, ethnology

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