The Lecture Hall. The Failed Incendiary Attempt

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The Lecture Hall

After the lectures in 1926 were delivered in the open, the decision was finally taken to start the construction of a lecture hall at Izgrev. It was to be completed by the next convention the following summer. The project development and the preparation were entrusted to Alfieri Bertoli, an Italian-born member of the Brotherhood. The Master suggested large French windows that would not obstruct the flow of light.

After August 1926, Peter Dunov would often stay at Izgrev for the night. He lived in the small cabin that was used for storing food during the conventions. This is where he spent the winter. For the lectures, he would go to 14 Oborishte St. with his young listeners, or back to his first home in Opalchenska St.

In July 1927, shortly before the convention in August, a dozen of carpenters from a village near Aitos, also members of the Brotherhood, arrived in Izgrev and erected the building in just two weeks. The presence of the Master gave them great joy and inspiration. He participated in the construction, once again affirming the idea of brotherhood and putting it into practice.

After a Sunday lecture at Izgrev.

The 1927 convention was held in the new hall which still had no window panes. There, on the 19th of August, the Master gave his lecture "The path of the disciple". His advice to the disciples was that they ought to find their path: "Those of you who wish to take the path of the disciples need to have a lofty ideal. I will instruct you on the path of the disciple. It must be a path of Love, a path of Light, a path of Peace, a path of Joy. Can you take this path, not sometime in the future but now, at this moment?" The hall gradually became the most attractive place where the Word could be heard almost daily. The Master spoke sitting at a small desk on a platform. Next to him, on a small table, were the Bible, The Testament of the Colour Rays, and a volume of lectures. On the walls were symbolic pictures. The image of Christ was invariably among them. This hall saw the most important part of Peter Dunov's activity. Everyone was welcome; the access was unrestricted. For years, the hall was the site of lectures, concerts, and talks - the only classroom where the Science of Life was taught.

 

The Failed Incendiary Attempt

In 1927, an organization calling itself Defence of the Homeland vowed to fight with Bulgaria's 'enemies': communists, anarchists, socialists, and Dunovists. As it failed to crush the first three 'enemy forces', it decided to destroy the Dunovists by setting fire to their centre.

One night a group of the organization's activists stole into Izgrev, carrying cans of gas, hoping to set the wooden cabins on fire and get away in the dark. The Master, however, caught them by surprise. At exactly 10 p.m. he put on the lights in the hall, then all lights outside in the glade. His method of warding off the attack was not quite traditional, quiet but efficient. The lights were on all night and the fire was prevented.