In order to feel good, we must be generous with one another
Vladimir Dimitrov*
Kyustendil is the city where The International Fellowship of St. John is located. It is in a lush agricultural region called the Struma River Valley. Known particularly for its cherries, the region is in the far west corner of Bulgaria approximately 15 miles from the borders with Serbia and North Macedonia.
The Balkans in general and Bulgaria in particular have had a long history of fluid borders and various occupying powers. From Greek and Roman administrations, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, to alliances with the Austro Hungarian Empire and most recently under the Soviet Union as a satellite nation of the Warsaw Pact, Bulgaria has had quite a bit of its share of inclusion with numerous political situations.
The constant was family, and the desire to determine their own sovereignty.
Known for Hot Springs
Kyustendil was a Thracian settlement in the 5th – 4th centuries BC. Valued for its thermal hot springs, the local goddess was one of healing. During Byzantine times, it became a major religious and administrative center for the Emperor Basil II.
The Serbs conquered the area in the late 13th century, and later the region was under the Ottomans, who built Mosques and enjoyed the healing waters in the public baths the Romans had built in centuries past. Kystuendil is still known as a “spa town,” where Foundation staff and mission teams do take in the waters while here on their days off.
Because of its proximity to both Serbia and North Macedonia, the dialect of Bulgarian spoken in the region is very similar to both Macedonian and Serbian languages. Families have relatives across the borders. The borders also invite negative activities, particularly in trafficking of humans, drugs and weapons.
The Roma community of Kyustendil is vulnerable to these influences. It is the reason The International Fellowship of St John was founded, to offer alternatives, to expose those most marginalized to the healing message of the Gospels. The Fellowship and its various projects are all about being kind, loving and generous with one another, because it is through such actions that Christ can be experienced.
* Vladimir Dimitrov, 1882 – 1960 Bulgarian Master Painter born in the village of Shishkovtsi near Kyustendil.