Holy Trinity Cathedral, Ruse
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The Holy Trinity Cathedral ( bg, Катедрален храм "Света Троица", ''Katedralen hram "Sveta Troitsa"'') is a
Bulgarian Orthodox The Bulgarian Orthodox Church ( bg, Българска православна църква, translit=Balgarska pravoslavna tsarkva), legally the Patriarchate of Bulgaria ( bg, Българска патриаршия, links=no, translit=Balgarsk ...
cathedral in the city of
Ruse, Bulgaria Ruse (also transliterated as Rousse, Russe; bg, Русе ) is the fifth largest city in Bulgaria. Ruse is in the northeastern part of the country, on the right bank of the Danube, opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu, approximately south of ...
on the
Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
river. It stands next to the modern day opera house. Built beneath the ground in 1632, it is the oldest church in the city and was constructed during the period of Ottoman occupation. As it keeps the holy relics of a number of saints, Ruse's cathedral is often visited by pilgrims. Its rich history and underground interior also pose an interest for tourists, making it one of the main attractions of the city. As one of the oldest buildings in Ruse, the Holy Trinity Cathedral was declared a cultural monument of national importance in 1983. It is continually cared for and maintained in order to be preserved for generations to come.


Architecture

It is a three-nave pseudo-basilica that is 31.20 m long and 15.60 m wide. Two rows of seven columns separate the naves. It was dug four and a half meters below the level of the yard due to the requirements of Ottoman authorities. The remains of
catacombs Catacombs are man-made subterranean passageways for religious practice. Any chamber used as a burial place is a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etymology and history The first place to be referred ...
, possibly dating back to the fifth century, are located in the southwest corner of the temple. During
Ottoman rule Ottoman is the Turkish spelling of the Arabic masculine given name Uthman ( ar, عُثْمان, ‘uthmān). It may refer to: Governments and dynasties * Ottoman Caliphate, an Islamic caliphate from 1517 to 1924 * Ottoman Empire, in existence fro ...
, it was easier to issue permission for the construction of a new church at the location of an older temple. The Christians of Ruse presumably used the old catacomb to build the church. The hexagonal belfry is 19 m high and was built with stones from the fortification facilities around the Ruschuk fortress, demolished by decision of the
Berlin Congress The Congress of Berlin (13 June – 13 July 1878) was a diplomatic conference to reorganise the states in the Balkan Peninsula after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, which had been won by Russia against the Ottoman Empire. Represented at th ...
from July 1878. There are five
bell A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inter ...
s in the belfry. In the cathedral's narthex are the graves of four bishops of the Dorostolo-Cherven
diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...
: Grigoriy, Valisiy, Mihail, and Sofroniy.


Design and construction

The origin of the
iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand t ...
has not yet been clarified, it was made in 1805 – 1807, then the icons were painted. During the period 1989 – 2000, a complete restoration of the iconostasis by Irina and Vaclav Yosif Kopetski from
Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
was carried out. A church choir was created in 1870, based on the idea of the teacher Todor Hadjistanchev. After the beginning of the 20th century, it became the only church choir in Bulgaria on an annual state subsidy. Two chapels were built with donations after the
liberation of Bulgaria The Liberation of Bulgaria is the historical process as a result of the Bulgarian Revival. In Bulgarian historiography, the liberation of Bulgaria refers to those events of the Tenth Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) that led to the re-establishmen ...
, giving the current exterior appearance of the temple. The first chapel is dedicated to
Alexander Nevsky Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (russian: Александр Ярославич Невский; ; 13 May 1221 – 14 November 1263) served as Prince of Novgorod (1236–40, 1241–56 and 1258–1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (1236–52) and Grand P ...
and was consecrated on 5 August 1884. It was rebuilt in 1983 and contained a museum exposition for church plates, icons, and old printed books. The second chapel is dedicated to the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius. It was consecrated on 16 March 1886 by Metropolitan Gregory Dorostolski and Chervenski. The wooden stairs from which the temple was entered and separated by a railing were replaced by stairs made of stone. Above them, a beautiful cube in Russian style and a bell tower were constructed. The walls of the temple were painted in 1934 by Prof. Stefan Ivanov and Mr. Zhelyazkov.


Gallery

File:20140625 Rousse 130.jpg File:20140625 Rousse 131.jpg File:20140625 Rousse 132.jpg File:20140625 Rousse 134.jpg File:20140625 Rousse 135.jpg File:20140625 Rousse 137.jpg File:20140625 Rousse 139.jpg File:20140625 Rousse 142.jpg File:20140625 Rousse 145.jpg File:20140625 Rousse 148.jpg


See also

* List of cathedrals in Bulgaria * Orthodoxy in Bulgaria


References

{{Reflist * ''Мутафов, В. архим., Летопис на катедралния храм "Св. Троица“, гр. Русе'', Русе 1999, 40 страници, тираж 3000 бр.
Информация


External links


360° church panorama
Tourist attractions in Ruse Province Ruse, Bulgaria Bulgarian Orthodox cathedrals Buildings and structures in Ruse, Bulgaria 17th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings 17th-century churches in Bulgaria