Dervent Monastery, Dobrogea

Dervent Monastery - details and images

At about 20 kilometers from the border with Bulgaria, coming from Ostrov, on a hill where you can admire the sparkling waters of the Danube, once protected from flooding, is Dervent Monastery. White walls and red roofs, steeples attract attention to your silver away. In the footsteps of the Apostle Andrew in Scythia Minor, Dobrogea, make a new stop this year in the monastery where we meet Father Herman Dervent:

"Tradition tells us that the Holy Monasteries on the right bank of the Danube, close to a distance of only two kilometers from the monastery Dervent, there was an ancient city named Dervent Romanian, a name that means camp or garrison, but also see the Romanian passing or passing in Turkish. Dervent City, after a flourishing period until the year 1036, was destroyed by Pechenegs when Dinocetia were destroyed and cities, and Sucidava Capidava. Today, the area can still see the ruins of this ancient Roman fortress.

By the end of the first century after Christ, the Holy Apostle Andrew the First Called to the apostles in the Christian mission to get him to preach Christ in Scythia Minor, that today in our Dobrogea, which at that time was part of the Roman Empire. The Christian faith was banned in those days. St. Andrew gets to preach the gospel of Christ our Saviour, and in Scythia Minor, ie Dobrogea today, finding a shelter in a cave 37 kilometers from the monastery Dervent, the commune Ion Corvin, where today is dedicated to a monastery in honor and memory of St. Andrew, increstinatorul Romania. Later missionary work of St. Andrew will return to St. disciples, namely a priest and three maidens to come in big city on the Danube Dervent to confess Christ.

At this point the four are caught and sentenced to death after being advised to deny Christ. When martyrdom, tradition tells us this holy place as they were seated the priest was on the spot where Holy Cross is now left of the apse of the church, the cross and the healing miracle and the three virgins were in front of the church, more precisely in front of altar. Seeing may not be prompted to deny their true faith, the holy martyrs were tortured horribly. Finally the priest was skinned alive and hung on a wooden cross with his head down, and the three maidens were removed eyes were torn out the nails of hands and feet and their bodies after those terrible pains Holy Martyr were cut into pieces. The bodies of these Saints were thrown into the Danube, after being burned at the stake as Christians do not worship them are in the city, not to venerate the remains, the holy relics that were left.

On the place where they were martyred tradition tells us that grew out of the earth four stones in the shape of cross and miracle healing attributes which over the centuries have proved to be healing from various diseases and bodily soul. "

Christian Life in Dobrogea, life in the early centuries the church was organized well. It was an intense Christian life, there are many religious communities, many churches, many monasteries. Even today this area, the former Scythia Minor, still proud of those ruins and those churches, the Holy Martyrs tombs that were discovered in Dobrudja because here was a real intense life in Christ, a spiritual feeling chosen. In 1036 the city was destroyed and Dervent. After several centuries of course, were places where the Holy Cross have become desolate, Dobrogea was occupied by the Ottoman Empire. Estates here have gone to Turkey, Ahmet drink which was tasked with guarding the Turkish border Dobrogea and hearing about the miraculous power of the Holy Cross will protect them and their followers will worship him for nearly five centuries. He was a godly man. They say people in this family tradition secretly christened because, of course, Christianity was banned from the Turks and keeping the tradition and worship of the Holy Cross in care of this family was made up in the early nineteenth century when a descendant Ahmet's drink will destroy them.

Many slaves came to work on the estate of the Turkish just to reach the Holy Cross is able to achieve healing body and soul. Holy Cross brought in this Turkish family and a lot of income. One day while his father was away with the affairs of the estate, being a deeply religious man, his son, noting that Holy Cross is venerated by Christian slaves, ordered subjects to shoot the horse, to destroy the arms of the Holy Cross miracle the priest.

At the time when arms were cotter Cross he was struck down by divine providence, fell and died while his old father, who left the affairs of the estate, was the crazy horse carriage, at which understands that something bad has happened the estate. Arriving here was the great tragedy that happened in his family's family announces that it no longer work so well as he has gone before and it did. An earthquake in five years will destroy the estate, a lightning will burn barns and plague will kill his family and courtiers who were around the Holy Cross. After another few years will come under the tutelage of Dobrogea Ottoman Empire and the places of the Holy Cross are again deserted. After the Independence War, Holy Cross is miraculously rediscover.

It is said that young Ionica, swain Coslugea village, near the Holy Monastery Dervent, is the sheep around the Holy Cross. Ionica was deaf from birth. We give and we realize this kind of suffering you have. He is very tired and fell asleep causing the bedside even Holy Cross Priest arms where we're in now. And, through a divine revelation, after some time, is awakened for the first time in my life heard of sheep that the thunder outside, and meanwhile it departed. We realize what great joy you covered! He kissed the Holy Cross with faith, he thanked God for this miracle. No longer knew precisely where to find the Holy Cross. They heard once that there were these places and other Holy Cross miracle. But he does not know the exact location. So he thanked God for this great miracle and a rumor about this at all nearby residents. This miracle has remained in the memory of people still live in these places to discover.

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