Among the 18 communities in the county of Constanta there is “Edinstvo“, too – a Bulgarian community in the county, whose name means Unity. The community has this form since 1995, becoming a legal entity in 1996, and is the successor of the Bulgarian community which existed in the county prior to 1940.
The first Bulgarian community in the city dates back in 1873. Its founders were prominent merchants, craftsmen and gardeners. With joint financial efforts they were able to buy land and build the first school in 1905, the rectory and the church “St. Nicholas the Old”, which is the current headquarters of the Community.
Community reinstatement was possible only after 1989. After gaining legal status in 1996, the community has become widely known and has established good collaboration relationships with all other ethnic communities in the country.
The community name indicates its nature and purpose, namely, to unite the ethnic Bulgarian citizens in Constanta county, people with the same traditions and way of life, to research and revive everything that was inherited from their parents and countrymen.
The community had 74 members at refoundation. Currently, most of the members are elderly people, ethnic Bulgarians, who remain here on Contanta terriotries. Most of the members live in the municipality.
The community enjoys the support of many supporters, people who contacted “Edinstvo” with the intention of better knowledge of the ethnic group aftre visiting Bulgaria.
The Church “St. Nicolas the Old”, known as the White Church of the Bulgarians retains the Romanian architectural style features, with painting executed by Ioanid the Old.
After1940, the Bulgarian Church dedicated to St. Nicholas was taken over by the Tomis Diocese and gave to Romanian Orthodox cult. As the the inscriptions were in Bulgarian and the painting needed to be rebuilt the Marjory of Constanta a well-known hired church painter Ion Musceleanu to recover all the painting, while changing the inscriptions in Romanian.
The church operated as a cathedral between 1941-1946 (after the cathedral bombing by Russian aviation). In 1961 along with the demolition Lutheran Church, Evangelical Lutheran community held services in this place for worship for over 10 years. Between 1975-1987 was served only church patron dedicated on December 6. Since December 6, 1987 was reopened and operated with normal jobs regime.
In 1998 fresco was restored by the painters Mihail Fordea and Florin Vlad from Bucharest.
