Jurilovca
Material received courtesy of counselor Liliana Barbulescu
- Department for Interethnic Relations of the Romanian Government
The project aims at setting up several tourist routes where whomever is interested can discover the values of the Russian Lippovan community from Romania.
1. What are the most important historical, religious, architectural and cultural sites for the Russian Lipovan community in your region?
Jurilovca is a Russian-Lipovan village where we have traditional houses with Russian influence and traditional occupations specific for this region. It is a very important township for this ethnicity.
a) Argamun fortress (Orgame) – the ancient Greek fortress, one of the oldest fortresses in Dobrogea (and Romania), is located 7 km from the village of Jurilovca on the high and steep shores of Lake Razim, in the area called Dolosman. Among the representative monuments of this site one can mention the oldest Greek tomb of the Black Sea area (mid-7th century BC) and a number of public and private buildings from the Roman period: praetorium; four paleo-Christian basilicas; defensive earthen embankments; defensive walls; housing and even some of the street infrastructure.
b) The old-rite Christian church ,,Acoperamantul Maicii Domnului” is dedicated to the Holly Mother and celebrates her on October 14th. There is a brief history of the evolution of the church: the first seat of worship dates from 1705, in 1805 a small wooden church is built, in 1838 the larger church is built and in 1892 the bell tower is built. The chandeliers, the bell and many other church items were made in Moscow and some were donated while others were commissioned. A distinctive element of the old-rite church is its cross with eight extremities.
c) The hermitage for old women in the churchyard of the old-rite church is erected in the late nineteenth century, at the same time that the church is being constructed, and it is made up of 17 miniature houses. Within these traditional houses, some of which have thatched roofs, a few old women left without any means support currently reside. They receive help from the church, as they try to provide for themselves, but lack water and electricity. Their life is running smoothly, with prayer, leaving behind a shred of the torment their soul experienced in a long gone era.
d) The Reabinuska folk ensemble of C.R.L. Jurilovca has enjoyed numerous participations at various festivals throughout the country. The group has seen a lot of success and stood out at the various shows it attended, of which we mention the Mamaia Festival and the ,,Roots Fest " in Brasov where they took home first prize. Some of the cultural events include performances in Gura Portitei and a number of guest appearances at various events at the “Dimitrie Gusti” National Village Museum, in order to bring closer the spirit and a little of the traditions of the most southeastern Russian-Lippovan city in the country.
2. What other relevant sites for your community’s culture and traditions can be visited in your town - memorial houses, libraries, etnographic or village museums, county museums including sections for local minorities, statues, monuments, cemeteries?
a)The ,,Naum Pocorschi” Community Library was founded in 1947 and operates within the community center building. It has a book collection of about 12,000 volumes, most of which are published in Romanian, but there are also books published in Russian (600 volumes). Stored in the memory of the local inhabitants is Naum Pocorschi, the man, (1896-1983) - who was their teacher, their librarian and was concerned with preserving and promoting culture and traditions.
b) The ethnographic museum located on the premises of the C.R.L.
c) A Russian Lipovan specific cemetery, at a distance of 500 m from the church.
d)The Eco-Museum Research Institute is located in Tulcea at a distance of 65 km and it is defined as a permanent public institution, in the service of society at large, with an array of archaeological databases, memorial houses and local museums.
3. What interesting geographical places are located close to the objectives listed above?
a) Dolosman Cape is a promontory bathed on three sides by the waters of Razem-Sinoe lake complex. The northern part shows a steep, rocky cliff with a maximum height of 29 m, while the south part is smooth and marshy. Here we have a rich flora and fauna specific to the delta habitat and also to a steppe habitat.
b)Gura Portitei is a strip of sand between the Black Sea and Lake Golovita, near the town of Jurilovca. The area offers accommodations for tourists, a beach, a beautiful panorama of the delta and traditional fish centric cuisine. Years ago here was a link between the lake and the sea, but it was artificially confined.
c) Bisericuta Island is an island located about 2.5 km southeast of Cape Dolosman. It is a strictly protected area of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve and visiting is prohibited. Here we find traces of a fortress connected to Argamum. The island is considered a bird sanctuary (in particular pelicans), especially during spring.
d) The Razim-Sinoe lake complex is a component of the Reserve and is located in the southern part of the Danube Delta. It has a total area of 1145 square kms, out of which 853 square kms is lake surface.
Other strictly protected areas of the reserve where numerous species of flora and fauna specific to the lake areas reside: Periteasca-Leahova Reserve, Grindul Lupilor, ,, Prundu cu pasari " Island, Ceaplace Island, Istria-Sinoe Reserve.
Almost the entire area near the village of Jurilovca can be considered a nature monument.
4. What cultural events and special events are currently being held or could be organized? At which dates?
The most important celebration is Pokrov (Protection of Our Most Holy Lady) and is celebrated on October 14. A feast is organized in the churchyard on this occasion to which people coming to the area are invited. Guests from all over the country come here and it represents a moment of reunion with loved ones, a celebration that brings together the Russian-Lipovans.
Also in October, the Minority Fisherman's Day is organized, when various fishing competitions are held and traditional dishes are prepared.
Another important feast is the Nativity celebrated on January 7th.
5. What hotels and hostels do you recommend in order to provide the necessary tourist services for the potential public?
Accommodation Lunca Complex: http://www.complexlunca.ro, located 3 km from the Jurilovca Township.