Act Now! Buy Your Own Temple!
Saturday October 18, 2008
If you hurry, you can purchase one slightly used temple to Cybele, located in Bulgaria. The 680-square meter plot containing the temple was found in the Black Sea town of Balchik in May 2007, and has recently been put up for sale by owner Boris Kushlev, who owns a factory in Poland. The asking price is about 680,000 Euros. Since the municpality of Balchik hasn't been able to come up with the funds to purchase the property, Kushlev has offered it up for sale to other interested parties.
Cybele, originally a mother goddess of Rome, was at the center of a rather bloody Phrygian cult, in which eunuch priests performed mysterious rites in her honor. Her lover was her grandson Attis, and her jealousy caused him to castrate and kill himself. His blood was the source of the first violets, and intervention from Zeus allowed Attis to be resurrected by Cybele. In some areas, there is still an annual three-day celebration of Attis' rebirth and Cybele's power.
The Bulgarian temple to Cybele is in good shape, and "is the only one of its type in Europe." The building itself is also well-preserved, and contains several statues of Cybele and a number of other artifacts. Darina Mircheva, the Director of the Balchik History Museum, said the sale was "a sacrilege."
Cybele, originally a mother goddess of Rome, was at the center of a rather bloody Phrygian cult, in which eunuch priests performed mysterious rites in her honor. Her lover was her grandson Attis, and her jealousy caused him to castrate and kill himself. His blood was the source of the first violets, and intervention from Zeus allowed Attis to be resurrected by Cybele. In some areas, there is still an annual three-day celebration of Attis' rebirth and Cybele's power.
The Bulgarian temple to Cybele is in good shape, and "is the only one of its type in Europe." The building itself is also well-preserved, and contains several statues of Cybele and a number of other artifacts. Darina Mircheva, the Director of the Balchik History Museum, said the sale was "a sacrilege."
Comments
I’m guessing they’d be really, really upset if whoever bought it returned it to its original purpose and re-established the cult of Cybele & Attis!
The European Union does support freedom of religion.
This is sad, instead of being able to one day visit, the only way I may learn about Her is through a techno-babble Wikipedia site.
Is there a Pagan Fund for the preservation of our ancestrial sacred sites? Has no Pagan won a lottery and is willing to buy it in Trust for all time?
Are we Pagans still so “anti-Church beauracracy” that we as a community, are not united in saving this temple? Just thnk… # of Pagans in the world, donating USD$1.00 could buy thousands of these temples, if only we were united.
So, where do I send MY dollar to?
-Rafe
I’m in! Just tell me where to send my pound! (That’s almost two dollars)
Coming back to this; I remember Circle Springs Sanctuary; or something.
About an openly Pagan guy who won the lottery and was going to use the money to build somethung like a Pagan community center.
Anyone here know who I am talking about? My thought was we petition him to buy the temple. =:-)>
Rafe
You’re thinking of Bunky Bartlett — he was the Wiccan lottery winner back in 2007. Interesting guy — he’s working on putting together Willow Springs Sanctuary in his home state of Maryland.
He could definitely afford to buy the temple of Cybele, tho — what a neat idea!
patti