Мотивът „строеж на църква за 40 дни“
Building a Church Within 40 Days Motif

Summary/Abstract: A number of common motifs occur in accounts of construction and renovation of churches within the Bulgarian lands in the National Revival period. One of them is about building a church within 40 days. The sacral meaning of this figure suggests a deliberate mythologisation of the real act of construction. The article analyses several such occurrences, arriving at the conclusion that these have never been eyewitness accounts and the churches under consideration could not have been built within the time specified. A number of other topoi relating to the legends of renovation of churches are also outlined: building secretly in the nighttime; successful attempts to deceive the authorities; sinking the church in the earth and enclosing it with high walls. Similar records are referred to that have been composed even before the Liberation.

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