The prolonged drought and aridity and the withdrawal of the waters of the „Ogosta“ dam near Montana in Bulgaria made it possible to see the Church of the Holy Ascension in the displaced village of Zhivovtsi. As an architectural landmark, it is unique, BNR reports.

For more than 50 years, the inhabitants of the village of Zhivovtsi have been evicted so that the Ogosta dam could be built. 350 houses are under the water, the memories of hundreds of Živovci residents remain there. One of them is Antoineta Dimitrova, a descendant of the Tarnichkovtsi family:

„And the first people who came after the Turkish slavery saw that there was life here and so they decided to make it Zivocha and then Zivovtsi village. My first years of childhood were spent here“.

The only remaining landmark from Zhivovtsi is the Church of the Holy Ascension, built in 1858. For more than half a century, the temple of God sank in the waters of the „Ogosta“ dam and „surfaced“ when they receded.

„It’s a pity that such a monument, which despite the atmospheric conditions, despite everything and for so many years the village has been evicted, still exists“.

The place near the church in Zhivovtsi is a favorite for fishing and outdoor recreation.

„Despite time it stands, and it is like a monument that can remind us of the past of the village of Zhivovtsi“, says Antoaneta Dimitrova.

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