ПРОГРАМИ
en de ru fr es sr gr al tr ro
Podcast in English
Share
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Building a school and a national monument thousands of kilometres from home - a mission possible

A Memorial to the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius will be a unifying international centre in the Spanish city of Malaga

Author:
Photo: asociacion-malaga-bulgaria.com

The first Bulgarian monument in the Kingdom of Spain will be inaugurated on 5 April, the eve of the Assumption of St Methodius for all Slavs and Bulgarians. It is dedicated to the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius and is located in a special place - in the park of the city of Málaga. It is located in a special place in Malaga. 

The monument was erected in Malaga on the occasion of two anniversaries: the 1160th anniversary of the completion of the first Slavonic alphabet, the Glagolitic alphabet, and the 43rd anniversary of Pope John Paul II's declaration of Saints Cyril and Methodius as co-patrons of Europe (30 December 1980).  In the words of the Pope, the two Slavic apostles are a bridge between East and West and have made an outstanding contribution to the cultural growth of the Old Continent and to the education of many generations of Europeans.

A large number of guests from Spain and Bulgaria attended the inauguration of the monument, which fulfils a long-held dream of the Bulgarian community in Malaga to hold an annual festival dedicated to Bulgarian culture. The initiative for the monument came from the Bulgarian Sunday School "Rodina" and the "Malaga-Bulgaria" Association. Together with the celebration of the Bulgarian Days festival, they want to develop Malaga as a pan-Slavic centre, where there is a place for unity and communication between peoples.

Radka Georgieva
"The idea came to us spontaneously. It was last year when we had our first high school graduates - that is, we had children who had started Sunday school in the first grade and had graduated. When we started to organise a graduation ceremony, we realised that we did not have a place where we could officially hand over the diplomas to the graduates," said Rada Georgieva, director of Rodina Sunday School - Malaga:

"We, from the Association Malaga-Bulgaria and the Rodina Sunday School, took this initiative. We contacted the other associations in Malaga, wrote a request, collected signatures, got permission from Malaga City Hall and then opened a donation account. Over the course of several months we collected the money. And now our idea, our dream has come to life. On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the festival "Bulgarian Days in Malaga", which we organise together with a Spanish association, we can inaugurate this monument to Saints Cyril and Methodius. 

Its author is Julian Ivanov. He is the father of one of our children and his wife is a teacher in a Bulgarian school. They live 30 km from our town. Like many other parents, they travel every Saturday so that their children can attend school. We are very happy that this father volunteered to build the monument himself, and the money we raised was actually for the materials to lay the foundation of the monument".


The Bulgarian Days in Malaga festival, organised by the Bulgarian Association with the help of Malaga City Council, takes place at the same time in early April. The concept is that there will be different groups of participants - from Bulgaria and many guests from Europe. 

The Rodina School is mainly involved in the concert part of the festival. There is also an exhibition of paintings, and visiting Bulgarian writers. "Everyone is welcome at the festival, and we also have the Creativity without Borders project. Our partner is the Bulgarian-Spanish centre "Estreya" from the city of Bourgas," says Rada Georgieva. 


"It is an interesting project involving Bulgarian and Spanish children. They write essays on a given topic. This year it was 'My city and the sea'. In the second stage, the Bulgarian children make illustrations based on the Spanish texts and the Spanish children draw on the Bulgarian essays. In this way, the Bulgarian Days in Malaga become a kind of cultural meeting. The concert programme this year includes Bulgarian groups from Belgium, and Spanish groups. In this way we present our Bulgarian traditions and heritage and our guests - the Bulgarians - meet the Spanish culture". 

Photos: Asociacion Malaga Bulgaria, glasnews.bg
Translated and posted by Elizabeth Radkova

Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.
Radio Bulgaria Life BULGARIANS ABROAD    bulgaria culture cyril and methodius malaga monument spain

More from category

Vesela Raytchinova from Israel: Bulgarians must protect their soul – and the peace in their country

One month after the dramatic events in Bat Yam , where thirteen Bulgarian artists were forced to take shelter in a bomb bunker during Iran’s missile attack on Israel, the organisers and participants of the international festival Bulgarian Soul in the..

published on 7/28/25 9:55 PM
Kozarevo village, Yambol region

Bulgaria is burning! Help has come but the reckoning is painful

It has been a sad summer we have been having. With temperatures soaring to over 40°C, not forgetting human carelessness and irresponsibility, hundreds of wildfires have been raging across the country. For a second week firefighters, volunteers and the..

published on 7/28/25 10:45 AM

Eleonora Edreva explores the old dyeing techniques of Bulgaria

Dyeing with the colors of nature – this is the topic that the person in today's story has chosen to explore through ethnographic approach. She is a young Bulgarian, who arrived in the USA when she was a child . In..

published on 7/27/25 8:15 AM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 38
Clear
Min: 21 | Max: 32
Clear
Min: 21 | Max: 32
Clear
Min: 16 | Max: 37
Clear
Min: 22 | Max: 36
Clear
Min: 18 | Max: 37
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 37
Clear
Min: 14 | Max: 34
Clear
Min: 18 | Max: 36
Clear
Min: 16 | Max: 36
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 37
Clear
Min: 19 | Max: 38
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 36
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 33
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 38
Clear
Min: 18 | Max: 37
Clear
Min: 19 | Max: 36
Clear
Min: 20 | Max: 38
Clear
Min: 20 | Max: 34
Clear
Min: 19 | Max: 35
Clear
Min: 16 | Max: 33
Clear
Min: 18 | Max: 34
Clear
Min: 15 | Max: 36
Clear
Min: 19 | Max: 37
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 36
Clear
Min: 18 | Max: 35
Clear
Min: 19 | Max: 36
BULGARIA IN PICTURES
Which world-famous Bulgarian artist designed QSL cards for Radio Bulgaria?
Yasen Gyuzelev
Theodore Ushev
Christo Javacheff - Christo
Ilia Peikov
Lika Yanko

BULGARIANS ABROAD

Български English Русский Deutsch Српски Français Ελληνικά Español Shqip Türkçe Română
MOST VIEWED

Balkan developments

Fiscal measures hit households in Romania amid record deficit Romania is entering a difficult economic period, with commentators expecting the..

published on 8/8/25 11:04 AM

"Peace Bell" march passes through Bulgaria on its way to Jerusalem

A march called "Peace Bell" passes through Bulgaria. The initiative is from the German union of the same name. The participants firmly believe that..

published on 8/8/25 12:06 PM

The heart of the Rhodopes celebrates – festival of Devin and mineral water held from August 8 to 10

Devin – the “city of mineral water” is located in one of the most picturesque regions of Bulgaria - the southwestern part of the..

published on 8/8/25 9:00 AM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

Общи условия за използване на сайта | Политика за поверителност | Политика за "бисквитки"