Капиталът на миналото: манастирът „Св. Атанасий“ (с. Златна ливада, Чирпанско) между мита и историята
The Capital of the Past: The Monastery of St. Athanasius (the Village of Zlatna Livada, Chirpan Region) between Myth and History

Summary/Abstract: The present text is dedicated to a particular case from the last decade of creating a met¬anarrative, in this sense also of memory and past, of the Monastery of St. Athanasius near the village of Zlatna livada, declared the oldest in Europe. Its founding is attributed to one of the key figures of the history of early Christianity, St. Athanasius, which gives the cloister specific sacred nature. The subject of research is indicative of the role of the modern means of communication in constructing popular ideas of the past. Thus, the “history“ of the Monastery of St. Athanasius becomes a ground for na¬tional pride and self-confidence since, on the one hand, it symbolizes the “deep roots“ of the nation and on the other hand, gives Bulgaria greater symbolic significance in the context of united Europe. The narrative of the ancient past of this Christian clois¬ter proves to be a winning formula since it focuses and expresses hopes and aspira¬tions of various social actors and circles, i.e. becomes part of projects orientated to the future.

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