Bogdanci - a town in the southern part of the Republic of Macedonia. It is located in the eastern part of the Gevgelija-Valandovo Valley, ie the area Bojmija, on the road between Gevgelija and Dojran. It has the role of an administrative center of the Municipality of Bogdanci.
In the XIX century, Bogdanci is a large village within
the Gevgelija kaza in the Ottoman Empire.
In the village in
1895 - 1896 a founding committee of VMORO was established, headed by
the teacher Atanas Todev from Macukovo, followed by the teachers
Ivan Bardarov from Stip, Sava Mihajlov, Hristo Trajkov Lisichkov,
Stefan Popivanov and Hristo Gonov.
On June 11, 2017, the
citizens of the Municipality of Bogdanci voted in a referendum
against the opening of mines and mining complexes for metallic
mineral resources.
Geography
The town of Bogdanci is
located in the area of Bojmija, at the eastern end of the
Gevgelija-Valandovo valley, on the right side of Stara Reka, at an
altitude of about 80 m. A regional road leads through Bogdanci,
which connects it with Gevgelija (11 km) in the southwest, and with
Nov Dojran and Dojran Lake in the northeast. The climate has changed
Mediterranean.
The area of Bogdanci covers an area of
6,700 ha, of which 1,561.4 ha are under arable land, pastures
cover 2,107.7 ha, and forests account for 2,719.5 ha.
Church "St. Athanasius "
Saint Athanasius - the main church in
Bogdanci and the seat of the Bogdanci parish. The church is located
in the center of the city. The original church was built in the
first half of the 19th century, which has been renovated several
times throughout history, mainly with monetary contributions from
the local Christian Orthodox population.
Fire
The church
was damaged in a fire that broke out on the morning of December 26,
2014. The fire affected the interior of the church and the roof,
while the icons were repaired thanks to the priests and the local
population. Firefighting vehicles from Gevgelija, the local
population and students from the high school near the temple took
part in extinguishing the fire.
On January 20, 2015, the
cornerstone of the new church was consecrated, which is being built
on the site of the fire. The new church is being built according to
the project of the architect Blagoj Zdravev from Stip, who donated
the already prepared project to the diocese for faster construction
of the new church, and the construction activities are performed by
the company GE-GE Professional from Bogdanci. The church is being
built with funds from the Povardarie diocese, as well as with
voluntary contributions of the faithful.
Architecture
The
building of the church is three-nave, and its arches are covered
with flat wooden ceilings, with the middle nave exceeding the side
ones. The roof structure is built on two waters. The interior of the
church is partially painted, which is most noticeable in the upper
parts of the central nave, whose frescoes date from the XIX century.
The iconostasis has old royal doors, made in carving with motifs
from flora and fauna, as well as old icons dating from the 19th
century. In 1983/84 a new bell tower with a city clock was built in
its upper part, and in 1986/87 a baptistery was built, consecrated
with the blessing of the then head of the MOC gg. Gabriel.