The Bulgarian Community Centre in Constantinople (Tsarigrad) and the Charitable Brotherhood “Prosveshtenie”
On the occasion of the Day of the National Awakeners on November 1, we remind you of the beginnings of modern Bulgarian education, laid down by our ancestors during the Bulgarian Revival.
One of the most important Bulgarian cultural and educational institutions during the Revival era was the Bulgarian community centre in Constantinople (Tsarigrad), founded in the spring of 1866.
The Tsarigrad Chitalishte (meaning Community Centre) (April 10, 1866 – March 3, 1878) emerged as a leading institution for Bulgarian community centres, schools, and other social and cultural associations during the Bulgarian Revival. The Tsarigrad centre supported other such establishments in their organizational and educational activities by providing them with books, newspapers, teaching aids and supplies.
Numerous charitable organizations were established around the Tsarigrad Chitalishte and under its leadership, one of which was the Charitable Brotherhood “Prosveshtenie” (meaning Enlightenment). Established on March 23, 1869, the Brotherhood aimed to strengthen and support Bulgarian education, to support Bulgarian youth in their studies, and to assist Bulgarian churches. Petko Rachov Slaveykov, a poet, publicist, folklorist, politician, and one of the founders of the modern Bulgarian literary language, played a key role in its organization. Stefan Bobchev, a lawyer, publicist, and social activist, was elected chairman of the society.
One of the main tasks of the Brotherhood was to educate the children of poor Bulgarian craftsmen who had gone to seek a livelihood in Constantinople and the surrounding villages. Immediately after its establishment, it opened a number of Bulgarian schools, which it supplied with textbooks, teaching aids and supplies.
Among the more famous students supported by “Prosveshtenie” were Georgi Izmirliev-Makedoncheto (meaning The Macedonian), military leader of the First Tarnovo Revolutionary District during the April Uprising (1876); Traiko Kitanchev, teacher, poet, and public figure, member of the Bulgarian Literary Society, among others.
Text: Iva Stoyanova
