The Cathedral Church-Monument of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin

Located in the very center of the city the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is one of the symbols of Varna. It is both a prayer home for the believers and an important part of the sightseeing routes for the tourists.

In the first years after the Liberation the number of the orthodox Bulgarian population in the city started to increase rapidly. In order to confirm their propinquity with the Russian Orthodox Church and to demonstrate their disestablishment from the Greek Patriarchate  it was cruicial to build an Orthodox Church to unite the Bulgarian christians in the town.
It was Prince Alexander the First Batenberg who had the honour to place the foundation stone of the future church, after he arrived to Varna on August 4th. The ceremony itself was held on August 22nd 1880 following a solemn church service with the blessing of Bishop Simeon and in the persence of many Bulgarians and Armenians. The first sod was turned with pick and spade especially made of silver for the occasion. After the ceremony the prince has pardoned all the inmates in the prison of Varna who had three months left to the end of their sentance. The name of the cathedral  "The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin" was chosen in memory of the Russian Emperess Maria Alexandrovna, a Bulgarian benefactor and an aunt to the Prince.

Many craftsmen worked on the construction site following the model of the Peterhoff's Church in St. Petersberg, Russia. he building materials were of local origin. The hewn stones used were the ones left when the fortress wall was demolished. The stones used for the facade were from the region of the villages Kumanovo and Lyuben Karavelovo and the interior columns were made of solid stone obtained from the Tashla Tepe area to the northeast of Varna. The stones for the making of the outside columns which stand  underneath the windows were delivered from the town of Ruse. The roof and the domes were coated in copper tin-plate. The conctruction of the Cathedral was completed in the beginning of October 1885.
The icons were painted in 1886 by craftsmen in Russia. The iconostasis and the Bishop's Throne were made by Filip and Vasil Filipovi. The chandeliers are made by the carver Petar Kushlev. The belfry as it is today was additionally build in 1941-1943.
The overall decoration of the church started in 1949 by Professor Nikolay Rostovtzev, Carlo Yordanov, Gospodin Georgiev and the decorators Dinko Shishkov and Alexander Soroki. The colourful glasses of the big windows facing the square were made in the sixties. 
In 2002 the renovation of the Cathedral's domes was completed. The entire roof construction was covered with materials on both silver and gold basis. During the same period 1999-2002 was built a ventilation system in the church. The murals were restored, as well. In 2001 the municipality has financed the installation of unique outside illumination of the Cathedral.

Address: SV. sv. Kiril and Metodiy Square
Telephone:  052 613005 
The cathedral is opened everyday from 8am till 6pm

Source: moreto.com
Pictures: Mirela Ltd.