High in the mountains of Bulgaria there is a miraculous forest where the sick and dying go to pray and emerge completely cured!

The monastery “St. Trinity” is situated in central Rodopy mountain.

The “Forest of the Cross” , in which it lies, is a picturesque site. Its name derives from its shape – looked from

above it looks like a cross. The 500 meters long and 300 meters wide glade is surrounded by beech woods and streams.

A magical site of steep

mountain spears can

be seen from the

top.

Monks used to live and grow animals in that place. Soon a monastery called “St. Trinity” was established.

The abbot of the Bachkovsky monastery, one of the biggest in Bulgaria on which “St. Trinity” was dependent, gave as a present to the newly established church a large icon made of gold. It’s said that a piece of Christ’s cross was hidden in it. Every year on Cross day, a holy feast, the icon used to be taken to the Bachkovsky monastery and back again by a procession of Christians.

In 1933 a clairvoyant elt an extraordinary power coming from the bowels of the forest. He started sending people to spend a night in the monastery and by God’s blessing they got well again.

During this period King Boris III ruled over Bulgaria. His sister was brought down by an incurable sickness. After

trying all the medicines he could find, he was advised by the clairvoyant to take his sister to the Forest of the Cross. The princess spent the night in the monastery and in the morning she was cured! The grand son of the military leader also healed.

King Boris rewarded the clairvoyant, who gave everything he got to the poor and the sick. The King decided to make a 33-kilogram cross (Christ’s 33 years of age) as a present for the “St. Trinity” monastery. However, the military leader also wanted to show his appreciation so a 66-kilogram metal cross was built and put near the monastery.

A spring with healing water was found in the forest. A chapel is now built above it. People go there, pray, drink from the spring and throw the healing water over their eyes.

The first mass was performed.

From that day on people started praying at the Cross and drinking from the spring, getting healing and hope.

In 1993 a new church was built with the help of thousands of people.

The images of Cyril and Methodius and their five disciples are put on a fountain built behind the church.

And the healing metal Cross is put 200 meters above the church. There are 15 chapels along the path to the Cross. They are all built due to donations.

That’s how they look inside. People leave some gifts to God on the small altar.

Then they go up to the Cross, pray passionately, kiss the cold metal and hope that God will hear them…

Made by Maya Ivanova , 17 Foreign Language School, Pleven