A film set has become the new classroom of the children of the Bulgarian Sunday School "Assen & Ilia Peikov" in Rome.
The pupils are hard at work filming a documentary dedicated to three prominent fighters for Bulgarian independence - Catholic bishops Petar Parchevich, Filip Stanislavov and Petar Bakshev. They were instrumental in organising one of the largest Bulgarian uprisings against Ottoman rule in the 17th century - the Chiprovo Uprising, which happened 190 years before the actual liberation of Bulgaria.
"Thank you to RAI 3 for covering the filming of our documentary about the first Bulgarian school founded by Bulgarian Catholics in Chiprovtsi 400 years ago! Thanks to the Ministry of Education and Science and ERASMUS+ for making this all possible," said Veneta Nenkova, a cultural researcher, founder of the school and president of the "Parallel 43" cultural association in the Italian capital.
The students' exploration of lesser-known facts of Bulgaria's history prompted Italian television to air a documentary titled "Hidden Pages of Bulgarian History".
A very exciting part of the making of the film is the interview with Padre Angelo Gabriele Giorgetta - "an Italian who tells the history of our country in Bulgarian. Padre Angelo Gabriele Giorgetta deserves the highest Bulgarian order for his contribution to the research and propagation of Bulgarian history and culture in Italy" - says Veneta Nenkova. She shows a unique gift by the Padre - a message to the young, written in Bulgarian:
The film project is associated with two notable anniversaries. In 2024, it will precisely commemorate the 350th anniversary of the deaths of Bishops Petar Parchevich, Filip Stanislavov, and Petar Bakshev, as pointed out by Veneta Nenkova.
"They were Bulgarian Catholics who had been brought up in Italy. They knew what it was like to live in a free country and wanted the same for their homeland," she told Radio Bulgaria, adding, "They organised people of both Orthodox and Catholic denominations, as well as a European army, to support the rebellious residents of Chiprovtsi."
Another important anniversary is the 400th anniversary of Bulgaria's first secular school. Its history is not well known either. We know about the school in Gabrovo in 1835, but the first Bulgarian secular school was founded by Catholics in Chiprovtsi in 1624.
The facts about who the teachers were and what they were studying are very well known, but there was no publicity in Bulgarian because they were Catholics. In fact, it was not a religious school - many craftsmen and merchants had studied there.
The film shooting continues...
Photos: Facebook/ Veneta Nenkova
The centennial birth anniversary of Prof. Riccardo Picchio – a slavicist and an expert in Bulgarian studies of international renown, will be honoured with an exhibition, opening on 31 May at Bulgaria gallery in Rome. The event, organized by the..
A second panorama of African-Caribbean cinema will take place between May 31 and June 1. The Sofia University ''St. Kiment Ohridski'' plays host to the two-day event. It is organized by the African and Indo-Pacific Studies Department and the..
Francophone traditions in Bulgaria have a rich history dating back to the Bulgarian Renaissance. Even at that time, the French culture and language were held in high esteem by the more educated part of our society as a carrier of the European values. The..
The renowned film and theater actress Jessica Lange, winner of two Oscar awards, has been building a career as an art photographer for nearly two..
Last year, more than 20 women in Bulgaria were killed by their partners or other men in their lives. The number of registered cases of domestic violence..
+359 2 9336 661