forty martyrs church

So much history putted in one place. The final resting places of great bulgarian kings from the second royal period.There are 3 marble columns of great significance inside each telling it`s own story of life death and everything in between. A must see in Veliko Tarnovo.

I was visiting my friends in Belgrade once again and we knew were wanted to follow some of the footsteps of St. Sava, the patron saint of Serbia. We had been Thessaloniki, Istanbul (Constantinople in his time), and throughout Serbia. We knew that St. Sava had died somewhere in Tarnovo but did not know where. We drove and as we turned the car around to find someone to ask, here was the Church of the Forty Martyrs! We weren't sure if this was the place or not but...We paid the few lev it took and walked in. The first clue was an icon in the candle chapel with St. Sava written upon it. Then we walked into the chapel to take a look. The chapel has had major restoration to the interior though the outside is neat. It's pretty plain except for the iconostasis and competent icons. I walked to the back to see the older icons and to my left, a vigil light, icon and the inscription: St. Sava 1236. We have found his tomb! 120 years ago Serbian founded St. Sava, their first Serbian Orthodox Church in my hometown. Today, we returned to the tomb of St. Sava to complete the circle nearly 800 years later!

The new building has been built up around the remains of the ruin to preserve what is left inside, and is larger than the original church. You can still get some feel for the old building, and can read the history on the boards but it has lost that historic energy that is usually found in places like this. It is not a grand place so expect something small and intimate. In photos it looks nestled in a wooded copse, quite quiet, but it is right below the road out of VT to Arbanassi, making it easily accessible but you would really only get maybe half hour at most from this attraction. There is an entrance fee of 6 leva per person, which at current exchange equates to about £2.50 each. The same fee is payable at Tsaravets fortress 2 minutes walk up the road and that is much more worth a visit.

I have 2 small apartments in Asenova, close to this recently overhauled church. When I was first in VT [about 11 years ago], this was just a wreck. It is so nice to see it restored to all its former glory, with modern architecture incorporated with the old. The grounds are well kept and a peaceful place to sit a while.

I did not find the restoration of this church to be very sympathetic to the original structure. It's worth wondering around and learning the history but it looks like a new building. I went in early morning before it was open. Walking around the outside of the church was enough for me.

I love this church very much for the fact that a huge part of it was preserved since its establishment. The nowadays facade is a result of a relatively recent reconstruction which was very much needed to protect the remaining original walls from falling down. I strongly suggest to all foreign visitors to ask for a guided tour - only this way you will get a thorough understanding about the importance of this church in our history and its important part in our cultural heritage. I will give only a few pieces of information to give you an idea what you will expect. The columns inside are inscribed by the order of some of our greatest rulers of old, most notably perhaps khan Omurtag (814-831 AD), famous for his building and cultural projects from times before Christianity was adopted as an official religion in Bulgaria and the Cyrillic alphabet introduced. The writing on his column is therefore in Greek says:"Kana subigi Omurtag, living in his old home, made a glorious home on the Danube and in the middle between the two most glorious homes, after he measured [the distance], he made a tumulus. From the very centre of the tumulus to my old palace there are 20,000 raztega and to the Danube there are 20,000 raztega. The tumulus itself is most glorious and after they measured the land I made that inscription. Even if a man lives well, he dies and another one comes into existence. Let the one who comes later upon seeing this inscription remember the one who had made it. And the name is Omurtag, Kana subigi. Let God make him live 100 years."The most well-known and often cited part of the writing among Bulgarians is: "Even if a man lives well, he dies and another one comes into existence. Let the one who comes later upon seeing this inscription remember the one who had made it."

If you are walking from Tsaravets to the Asenova Quarter below the ramparts, you go right past this church, so you might as well stop. Go past the bridge, make an immediate left, buy your ticket at the base of the bridge, and head for the church. The exterior looks old, but it's mostly reconstructed. The interior is worth a look, however, and contains some very old memorials. The best photos of the exterior are from outside the wall, past the entrance to the site.

This monastery is a great example of how old sites need to be conserved. Though much of it was re-built, the well conserved western walls are really a nice view! The courtyard is also pleasant and well taken care of!

The church there was rebuilt, the inside was a modernistic one, but an inappropriate one. It is not a waste of time to visit it, but not a must. Very little information for the non Bulgarian visitors.

This Church is now part of the National Museum and the entrance seemed a bit overpriced. The main attraction is the people buried there as the Church has been restored in an unusualy manner.

のとても素朴な教会ベリコタルノボの町の東側、ツァレヴェッツの丘を通り過ぎた、橋の近くにある教会。外見は石造りで、周囲の山や、後ろにあるツァレヴェッツの丘とならんでとてもよい景色です。中は新しく、美しいイコンがあります。奥の部屋は古い壁画が残っています。

Αξηζει να το δεις. Καλοσυντηρημενο καστρο, με καλη θεα απο πανο, γυρο απο αυτο ρεει ποταμι. Προσωπικα θα ηθελα επηπλεον σοκακια μεσα στο καστρο.

Ενδιαφέρον μνημεό σε πολύ ωραία τοποθεσία ακριβώς κατω από τη γέφυρα.Θα έπρεπε να έχει καλύτερη σήμανση για τη θέση της εισόδου.

Trovarci le tombe (ovviamente ricostruite) di due personaggi basilari della storia bulgara, come Kham Asparuh e Tsar Kaloyan, nonché una colonna con iscrizioni che rimandano a molti secoli addietro, indurrebbe a classificarla come molto bella, ma è un po' troppo evidente la ricostruzione e di affreschi originali è rimasto pochissimo. Qiuindi, anche se un po' a malincuore, devo giudicarla di livello medio. Comunque, una visita la merita.

A igreja é legal, mas depois de tantas reconstruções ela perdeu bastante de seu charme. Só vale a visita se tiver muito tempo sobrando.