Page 6 - Moravian Messenger May 2019

Finding Zula's Hollow
Uncovering the intriguing history of the Thermopylae Garden at Kilwarlin Moravian Church
The 'Finding Zula's Hollow' Project at Kilwarlin Moravian Church, Co. Down, is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council. This phase 1 project commenced in July 2018 and is working to establish new information in relation to Kilwarlin's historic garden, known as 'Zula's Hollow', recognised by garden historians as one of the most unusual gardens within the British Isles. The project is spear headed by Rev Livingstone Thompson of Kilwarlin and the 'Finding Zula's Hollow' Project Committee (chaired by Mark Kernohan of University Road Moravian Church in Belfast) and is managed by Project Manager Peter Dornan, with historical research facilitated by Research Co-ordinator Rachael Garrett. This project aims to lay the foundations for the restoration of Zula's Hollow and the future development of the site as a local heritage attraction.
As research co-ordinator for the 'Finding Zula's Hollow' project I have spent the last nine months delving deep into the story of one of the most interesting and intriguing figures from the history of the Irish Moravian Church. Rev Basil Patras Zula (1796- 1844), a native of Greece and the famed minister of Kilwarlin Moravian Church, was the builder of Kilwarlin's unique and wonderfully bizarre Thermopylae Garden. The
extraordinary earthworks of the Kilwarlin Garden (or 'Zula's Hollow' as it is locally known) have attracted interest for decades from historians, academics and from the local community. This unusual series of mounds, ridges and gorges was constructed by Rev Zula to re-create one of the most famous battles of ancient Greece - the battle of Thermopylae 480BCE. This battle saw 300 Spartans, led by King Leonidas I, and other Greeks take on the gargantuan Persian army of Xerxes I. The brave Greeks succeeded in holding back the Persian hordes at the narrow Pass of Thermopylae before betrayal forced them to make the ultimate sacrifice for Greek liberty. The 'Finding Zula's Hollow' project sought to learn more about this unique garden and its intriguing builder. On commencing my role, I knew nothing about the mysterious figure of Zula and less about the history of Kilwarlin Moravian Church but quickly I was gripped by the fascinating history of this unassuming church and its mysterious Greek minister.
I began by reading the remaining diaries of Rev Zula which recorded with absolute clarity his sincere passion and dedication to the rejuvenation of Kilwarlin and the dynamic energy which he applied to his ministry.
'What am I my God ... that thou should honour me to help to build up the “old waste places”. From a far country have I journeyed and found rest here & at thy altar do I anew dedicate body, soul and spirit to be devoted to thy glorious service.' Kilwarlin Congregation Diary, 12th September 1834, Kilwarlin Moravian Church.
Almost immediately Zula did indeed 'build up the old waste spaces', rebuilding the dilapidated old church and manse. Such improvements, and Rev Zula's pastoral work, dedication and charisma, would prove to have an almost miraculous effect on the Kilwarlin Moravian congregation. In the early 1830s only six elderly church members remained but by the time of Zula's
death in 1844, the Kilwarlin congregation had gone from near extinction to a thriving flock of over 200 individuals.
However, I wondered, how did a Greek even end up in Ireland in this period? In-depth research within Irish and Greek sources was required to shed light on Zula's early life in Greece, to unearth new information about this extraordinary figure. A principal mystery was where exactly Rev Zula had been born. Online genealogical records revealed that Zula's surname was likely to have been 'Zoulas', common in the Epirus region of north west Greece. Further research, by Greek historians Katerina Kolotourou, Giannis Michalakakos and by a Greek research trip, revealed that the Zoulas family were one of seventeen prominent clans from the town of Parga in Epirus. This town, like the Ionian Islands, had remained outside of Turkish control and in the early 19th century the Zoulas family and the rest of the town's citizens were desperately trying to maintain their independence from the rule of
the Turkish vizier Ali Pasha. Nineteenth century biographies of Zula mention Parga and claim that Ali Pasha once put a price on Zula's head. It seems that, from an early age, Zula and his family were involved in a struggle for liberty from Turkish control; a struggle Zula was to continue in later life, as an officer in the Greek Revolution (1821-1828). However, Zula eventually sickened of war and left Greece to travel to Great Britain alongside the English nobleman Sir William Eden, and the pair eventually arrived in Dublin c.1828. It was here that Zula met Ann Linfoot, a Moravian schoolmistress (and his future wife), who introduced him to the tenets of the United Brethren and inspired him to
Portrait of Rev. B. P. Zula in Greek dress, by Edward Hayes RHA, c.1833. Original portrait located at Kilwarlin Moravian Church.
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