Nikola Fichev ( bg, Никола Фичев) (1800 Direnova, Ottoman Empire - 1881 Veliko Tarnovo,

Principality of Bulgaria The Principality of Bulgaria ( bg, Княжество България, Knyazhestvo Balgariya) was a vassal state under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire. It was established by the Treaty of Berlin in 1878. After the Russo-Turkish War end ...

), commonly known as Kolyo Ficheto ( bg, Колю Фичето) or with his Turkish honorific Usta (Master) Kolyo Ficheto, was a

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Maced ...

n National Revival architect, builder and sculptor born in Dryanovo (then called Direnova) in 1800. Left an orphan without a father at the age of three, Kolyu Ficheto was taught craftsmanship by the masterhands in the Trevne town (today

Tryavna Tryavna ( bg, Трявна ) is a town in central Bulgaria, situated in the northern slopes of the Balkan range, on the Tryavna river valley, near Gabrovo. It is famous for its textile industry and typical National Revival architecture, featuring ...

) since he was ten. He learned stonecutting in the town of Görice (today Korçë in

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares la ...

) when he was 17, and then mastered the construction of churches,

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tow ...

s and bridges from the craftsmen in Bratsigovo. Kolyu Ficheto became a journeyman at the age of 23 and was fully recognized as a

master craftsman Historically, a master craftsman or master tradesman (sometimes called only master or grandmaster) was a member of a guild. The title survives as the highest professional qualification in craft industries. In the European guild system, only mast ...

by the whole builders' guild at 36. Aside from his native language Bulgarian, he spoke fluent Turkish and good Greek and

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania ** Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditiona ...

, but was

illiterate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

, unable to read and write. Kolyu Ficheto is known for having lain under one of his own bridges to guarantee its safety with his life. Fichev died in Veliko Tarnovo, where he was buried, in 1881. Some of his notable works include the Byala Bridge (Беленски мост, ''Belenski most'') over the Yantra River close to Byala (1865-1867), the

Covered Bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

in Lovech over the

Osam The Osam ( bg, Осъм ) is a river in northern Bulgaria. Its drainage basin is in between that of the river Vit to the west and the Yantra system to the east. Поречието на р. Осъм The river has two main tributaries in its upper ...

(1872-1874), churches in his native town, as well as in Svishtov ( Church of the Holy Trinity, 1867) and Veliko Tarnovo (1844), where he also designed a number of houses and public buildings.

Architecture

File:MonkeyVT-KF150.jpg, The House with the Monkey - Veliko Tarnovo built in 1849 by Kolyo Ficheto File:ByalaBridge-KF150.jpg, The bridge over Yantra River in Byala, Ruse Province, built in 1867 by Kolyo Ficheto File:StTrinityKF150.jpg,

Church of the Holy Trinity, Svishtov The Church of the Holy Trinity ( bg, Църква „Света Троица", ''Tsarkva „Sveta Troitsa"'') is a 19th-century Bulgarian Orthodox church in the northern Bulgarian town of Svishtov and one of the finest examples of late Bulgarian ...

, built in 1867 by Kolyo Ficheto File:KonakVT-KF150.jpg, The Town-Hall in Veliko Turnovo, built in 1876 by Kolyo Ficheto File:Dryanovo church kf.jpg, The 19th century church in Dryanovo, designed by Kolyo Ficheto

Honour

Ficheto Point on

Livingston Island Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of Antarctic islands north of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was the first land discovered south of 60° ...

in the South Shetland Islands,

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

is named after Kolyo Ficheto.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ficheto, Kolyu 1800 births 1881 deaths Architects from the Ottoman Empire 19th-century Bulgarian architects Bulgarian civil engineers People from Dryanovo