The name of the village is mentioned in a 1612 timar register as the village of Osel in the Izvrazhda district (Vratsa). In a list of priests in the Vratsa diocese, compiled in March 1826, four people were recorded from the village of Oselna - priest Yoan, priest Tseko, priest Atanas and priest Konstantin.
Along the Rzhanska River in the past there were many watermills, rolling mills, threshing floors and sawmills, some of which have been preserved to this day. There are seven bridges that connect the residents on both banks of the river, and most of them are old.
The school was established after the Liberation in 1891 in the building of the former konak, and at first there was only one classroom. In 1930, a new school building was built on the same site with the voluntary labor of the local population. In the 1950s, over 100 children were educated at the school, which then was up to grade 7. It was closed in 2006. A characteristic feature of the settlements in the gorge area are the votive offerings. They are placed in important places for the community - areas with arable land and perennial plantings, near springs, bridges, ancient trees - in order to provide supernatural protection. Votive offerings are often located on ancient pre-Christian cult sites and the ritual itself includes a partial mixing of pagan and Christian traditions. According to folk beliefs, each part of the rural land: the vineyards, fields and meadows, has its own owner - a saint. He protects them from fires, hail and floods. As a sign of gratitude, a sacrifice is offered to this saint on a certain calendar day, and a celebration with songs and games is organized. Votive offerings are marked with cult signs: a large stone, a stone or wooden cross, stone slabs, columns. Almost always, vows are celebrated in spring and summer. There are village-wide vows – one or two, which are honored and celebrated by the entire population, but in addition to them, there may be mahlen and family vows. Encroachment on vow places is prohibited and, according to belief, God punishes the culprit. In 2017, thirteen vows were documented in the land of the village of Oselna, 15 in Zverino, and as many as 18 in Ignatitsa. Half of them are within the boundaries of the populated part of the land, the others – in high places, in vineyards and sheepfolds. It is interesting that there are vows that were moved in the last decade of the 20th century to new places and even in the yards of private homes, just so that they would not be “abandoned”. On some of the vows, the old crosses, damaged by time or by treasure hunters, were replaced with new ones or new concrete or stone crosses were added to the old ones. The service of others was suspended and renewed in the last quarter of the last century. All votive signs, called by the locals "monuments", are turned to the east, regardless of how many times and where they are moved or renewed. The sacrificial animal (always male - ox, ram, lamb, rooster) is slaughtered on the spot on the day and cooked there. In the past, the entire ritual was observed - burning the animal, slaughtering and cooking on the spot, consecrating the food, bread and water. All this is done on the day of the sacrifice. The food is distributed to those present for health.
HOW TO GET THERE
- Train
гарата е на другия бряг на р.Искър
- car
road II-16 (along the Gorge)
25 км от гр.Мездра
83 км от гр.София
The village is located along the steep valley of the Stara Planina river Rzhana, which is a right tributary of the Iskar river. To the south of the village, on a naturally protected high terrace, are the ruins of the medieval Bulgarian fortress Grado.
There are several legends about the settlement of the village, and some of them explain the origin of its name.
According to one legend, during slavery, the village suffered from a plague epidemic and was revived 300–400 years ago by residents of the village of Osenovlag. They settled with the surviving local families and gave the name to the village.
According to another legend, during Turkish slavery, several families, tavern owners, from the villages of Osenovlag and Lakatnik moved to the upper part of the valley in the Lago area, and another part - in the Tarapanata area. The village and the hamlet of Oselna are also named after the names "osenovtsi" and "oseltsi".
Legends also tell of a certain grandfather Dimitar, who left Wallachia to look for a good place for his herd. He settled in Zagradnyata, then moved to Wallachia Meadow and Wallachia Fertilizer, where he remained.
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Oselna village - Stadimo peak - Koznitsa peak
Oselna village - Stadimo peak - Seven thrones monastery




