Church of the Holy Trinity in Svishtov TB

The Church of the Holy Trinity (, ''Tsarkva „Sveta Troitsa"'') is a 19th-century

Bulgarian Orthodox The Bulgarian Orthodox Church (), legally the Patriarchate of Bulgaria (), is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox jurisdiction based in Bulgaria. It is the first medieval recognised patriarchate outside the Pentarchy and the oldest Slavic Orthod ...

church in the northern

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

n town of

Svishtov Svishtov ( ) List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, is a town in northern Bulgaria, located in Veliko Tarnovo Province on the right bank of the Danube river opposite the Romanian town of Zimnicea. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous S ...

and one of the finest examples of late

Bulgarian National Revival The Bulgarian Revival (, ''Balgarsko vazrazhdane'' or simply: Възраждане, ''Vazrazhdane'', and ), sometimes called the Bulgarian National Revival, was a period of socio-economic development and national integration among Bulgarian pe ...

church architecture. A work of the best-known Bulgarian architect of the period, Nikola Fichev, the church was inaugurated on 19 September 1867 and constructed on the highest spot in the town. The three-

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

d church features a central dome and an elongated 30 m-long body with thin and high columns supporting the naves, as well as three smaller domes. The design of the

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

s is particularly remarkable. Fichev notably broke the Orthodox architectural canon by making the whole east façade a giant undulating

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

. The

iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis () 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 that can be placed anywhere withi ...

, 16 m long and an average 10 m high, was created by Anton Peshev from

Debar Debar ( ; , sq-definite, Dibra or Dibra e Madhe) is a city in the western part of North Macedonia, near the border with Albania, off the road from Struga to Gostivar. It is the seat of Debar Municipality. Debar has an ethnic Albanian majorit ...

in 1870–1872 and the 73 icons were painted by

Nikolai Pavlovich Nikolai Pavlovich (Bulgarian: Николай Павлович; 9 December 1835, Svishtov – 13 February 1894, Sofia) was a Bulgarian romantic nationalist painter, lithographer and illustrator. Biography He was the son of , a teacher and write ...

, a master from Svishtov. The

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 to ...

, stylistically a reference to

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...

, was added in 1883–1886 and designed by Gencho Novakov. Several important figures, including the first Bulgarian Exarch Antim I (1872), the Metropolitan of

Tarnovo Veliko Tarnovo (, ; "Great Tarnovo") is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. It is the historical and spiritual capital of Bulgaria. Often referred to as the "''City of the Tsars''", Velik ...

Ilarion Makariopolski Hilarion of Makariopolis ( ''Ilarion Makariopolski'', , born Stoyan Stoyanov Mihaylovski, ; 1812–1875) was a 19th-century Bulgarian cleric and one of the leaders of the struggle for an autonomous Bulgarian church. He was born in Elena in 181 ...

(1872) and the eparchial metropolitan bishop Clement of Tarnovo (1889) have held services in the church. It was also visited by

Russian Emperor The emperor and autocrat of all Russia (, ), also translated as emperor and autocrat of all the Russias, was the official title of the Russian monarch from 1721 to 1917. The title originated in connection with Russia's victory in the Great Nor ...

Alexander II, who attended the service on 28 June 1877. Alexander II also donated six bells for the bell tower. The Church of the Holy Trinity suffered damage from an

earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

on 4 March 1977, but was subsequently restored. Today, the church with its iconostasis is a cultural monument of national importance.

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Trinity, Church of Holy, Svishtov Churches completed in 1867 19th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings Churches in Bulgaria Buildings and structures in Veliko Tarnovo Province Svishtov Tourist attractions in Veliko Tarnovo Province