Your muscles may ache the next day, but it’s worth it as the season of good deeds is open! Grab your shovel and broom as archaeological and restoration work at the Great Basilica in Plovdiv is in full swing as of April 28. The first group of volunteers are already uncovering the many layers of history of the ancient house of worship. Twenty young Americans, assistant teachers of English at various schools throughout Bulgaria through a partnership of ABF and the Fulbright Commission, dedicated a recent day volunteering to uncover the mosaics of the Great Basilica in Plovdiv.
Photo: Jeremiah Chamberlin, Fulbright Fellow
“My experience as a volunteer at the archaeological site of the Episcopal Basilica in Plovdiv is one of my absolutely favorite experiences in the eight months I have been living in Bulgaria. The opportunity to experience the history was fascinating and made me feel closer to the past of Bulgaria. I can not wait to volunteer there again,” said Hannah Combe, currently an English language assistant teacher in Pravets.
The Great Basilica in Plovdiv is an early Christian house of worship from the 4th – 5th centuries, with two layers of mosaics totaling more than 2000 square meters. The restoration and display of the ancient mosaics and the transformation of the Great Basilica into an archaeological monument of world significance is a project America for Bulgaria Foundation is investing more than 8.2 million leva in partnership with the Municipality of Plovdiv.
