The building of the ethnographic museum “Cross barracks” is located in the oldest part of Vidin. Legend says: After decades of riots, battles and bloodshed, Kardzhali leader. Osman Pazvantoglu. has managed to gain the recognition of Sultan Pasha for the Vidin area. In old Sarai, he organized a big holiday and invited the most important people in the town. In the hall, in the centre were two strangers near the Pasha. He presented the guests as French and Polish engineers, in charge with building the new mansion for janissaries. Unexpectedly, the Pasha stepped up, took out his scimitar and passed near the tables. He stopped in front of the bishop and pulled the red church robe from his shoulders. Covered with church clothes, drunk, the Pasha danced at a strange pace, which slowly and timidly included all those present. Everyone understood that he mocked the Resurrection of Christ. The next day, the master remained unusually long in his rooms. In old Sarai, rumours have surfaced that “the Pasha is suffering from a terrible disease!”. The same afternoon, healers arrived, along with a strange woman dressed. She was carrying a leather bag and a packet of dried roots and grass. All day the healers remained in the Pasha’s bedroom. At dusk, when she left, although exhausted, but still standing, the Pasha entered the room where the two construction engineers worked. Sitting in front of the table he took one of the sketches. He looked at the sheet with contempt, then broke it in half, then tightened the halves and broke them once more. Visibly worried the foreigners thought that the Pasha was unhappy with their work and they prepared for what is worse. But he took the pieces of paper and slowly arranged them as a puzzle, leaving space between the broken parts – he formed a cross! That was his will! Immediately after the construction began, the Pasha was surprisingly healed! Seen from above, this building was in the shape of a cross. This cross was Osman Pazvantoglu’s way of apologizing for the blasphemy brought to the Orthodox God.
