ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

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The monastery of Saint Elizabeth is a Catholic monastery and home to the Franciscan sisters. It is located in the district of General Nikolaevo of the town of Rakovski and is located next to the Catholic Church.

History
After the change of political regime in Bulgaria in 1989, the French sisters decided to resume their mission in Bulgaria, suspended in 1949. The sisters turn to Bishop Georgi Yovchev to point to them a place where they can develop their pastoral activities. The parish was chosen

The mission of French nuns in Rakovski was founded on 11 March 1992. Originally, it was housed in the church of the Holy Heart of Jesus. On 3 August the same year began the construction of a monastery building. The monastery was lit in 1995.

The order of missionary sisters has missions in 21 countries around the world, and the Bulgarian branch belongs to the so-called. Oriental province, including Cyprus and Lebanon.

The sisters from the monastery conduct training in religion and foreign languages in extracurricular time at the elementary school. The monastery's upcoming sister Deodata Donati.

On 6 May 2019 during the Apostolic pilgrimage of Pope Francis in Bulgaria, the pope had lunch with the Bulgarian Catholic bishops in the monastery. On July 23, 2022, the sisters from the monastery marked 200 years since the birth of the founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Holy Heart of Jesus, Father Gregory Fioravanti, 150 years since the establishment of a mission of the sisters in the Middle East and 30 years since their mission was resumed in Bulgaria. The Holy Mass on this occasion in the temple "Holy Heart Jesusov" who is to be held by Bishop Rumen Stanev - the assistant bishop of Sofia-Plovdiv Diocese in service with Bishop Hristo Proykov - Chairman of the Episcopal Conference of the Catholic Church in Bulgaria attended the Apostolic Nuncia in Bulgaria Archbishop Luciano Suriani.

Sources

Franciscan Order
Monasteries in Sofia-Plovdiv Diocese
Monasteries in Rakovski
Founded in Bulgaria in 1995
Catholic Community in Rakovski