Ivan Vedar - the founder of Bulgarian freemasonry

In 1880 Ivan Vedar founded in Rousse the first masonic lodge in Bulgaria - Etoile des Balkans (Balkan Star). By 1882 the lodge had 27 members, among who Zahari Stoyanov, Nikola Obretenov, Toma Kardzhiev, Ilarion Dragostinov and others. Its secret member was even Knyaz Alexander Battenberg. Ivan was born in 1827 in Razgrad. His birth name was Danail Nikolov, but because he killed a Turk, he changed his name to Ivan and went to Malta. There he studied at the protestant college, where learned many European languages and also Latin and various Arabic dialects. After his graduation Ivan Vedar became a sailor in an English merchant ship, which travelled between London and Melbourne. In 1852 he moved to Izmir, where he taught languages to sons of the Turkish notables. During the Crimean War, Ivan Vedar travelled in the Turkish Black Sea ports, working secretly as Russian intelligent agent. He started working as a translator in the management of the Istanbul police, the Internal and External ministries. Thus he had access to large information, which gave to the Russian diplomats in the Turkish capital. After his secret activities had been put in jeopardy, he went to Bucharest. There he studied in the medical school, where he got his family name Vedar (Bright) and went down in history as Ivan Vedar. During 1863-1865 he was approved as a freemason in the English Oriental Lodge. Later he reached level 33, the highest masonic degree. At the end of August 1877 the Ottomans decided to kill the population of the town of Rousse. Ivan then went to the Turkish captain Delaver Pasha, who also was a mason. One gesture of Vedar and the captain understood that a masonic brother by a higher degree stood in front of him and canceled the order. The bashi-bazouks left the town, and population remained under the guard of the regular army. Thus Ivan Vedar saved over 4000 people from death and Rousse - from burning down. In his honor in 2007 a bronze monument was erected in his birth place Razgrad.