Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God description and photos - Bulgaria: Plovdiv (Topic)

Cathedral of the Assumption of the Mother of God (Church of the Holy Mother of God) description and photos - Bulgaria: Plovdiv. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Church of the Holy Mother of God.

Photo and description

The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin is an Orthodox church located in the old part of Plovdiv. There is information that on the place where the temple stands today, about the 9th-10th centuries there was an old church. In 1189 it was plundered by the crusaders during the Third Crusade. Later the building was restored, and a monastery was located nearby. Probably, during the Ottoman invasion and conquest of the city in 1364, the holy monastery was destroyed.

In the Renaissance, not a trace of the ancient majestic church remained. In the period from 1844 to 1845, craftsmen from the city of Bratsigovo erected a new church in this place - the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin. In the year of completion of construction, the church was consecrated.

An impressive domeless basilica with one apse was built entirely of stone. The length and width of the structure reaches 32 and 17 meters, respectively. The interior of the temple is divided into three naves by two rows of six columns. The columns are crowned with decorative baroque capitals and are connected to each other by stone arches. Due to the restrictions that existed during the years of Ottoman rule regarding the construction of Orthodox churches, the cathedral does not have a dome. There is a vestibule in the western part, and an altar on the eastern side.

The Empire style iconostasis belongs to the work of master carvers Dimitar and Anton Stanishev. It reaches 14.3 meters in length and 3.7 meters in width. Floral motifs are traced in the carved elements that adorn the iconostasis: wreaths of oak branches, roses, daisies, daisies, grapes, the leaves are all made of wood and painted gold. Under a row of royal icons in medallions there are images of saints and scenes from the Holy Scriptures, most of which were written by N. Ondrinchanin. The icon "The Most Holy Theotokos with the Child Jesus" (1875) belongs to the famous Bulgarian painter Stanislav Dospevsky.

Built in 1881 by Joseph Schnitter's design, the bell tower is a three-story tower topped with a dome. Four bells were cast by Lazar Veleganov. Above the arched entrance to the bell tower, which serves as the decoration of the church, there is a gratitude inscription "In memory of the liberators".

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Topic: Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God description and photos - Bulgaria: Plovdiv.