 The church, known as the Church at the Shipka Monastery, was built between 1886 and 1902 to commemorate the Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Moldovan and Finnish soldiers and officers, and Bulgarian volunteers fallen in the Battles of the Shipka Pass during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. It was built on the initiative of Gen. Skobelev’s mother Olga Skobeleva and Count Nikolai Ignatiev. The domed church was designed and built in the style and tradition of the Russian Orthodox Churches of the period. The domes are gold-plated. There are three altars, dedicated to The Birth of Christ, St. Alexander Nevski, St. Nicholas the Wondermaker. The iconostasis was made in Saint Petersburg and the icons were painted by Russian monks from the “St. Pantheleimon” Monastery. There are 17 bells in the belfry, the biggest of which weighs nearly 12 tons. There are also 17 sarcophagi which treasure the remains of the soldiers fallen in battle. Regular liturgies are held and every morning and every evening there is a requiem liturgy for the perished. The icon-painting of the church, with the exception of the central dome, was carried out during its restoration in 1957-1959 with the participation of Russian and Bulgarian painters under the guidance of N. E. Rostovtzev. Along with the religious scenes, the paintings depict historical figures and scenes related to the history of Bulgaria and Russia. The church is visited by thousands of Bulgarian and foreign tourists and pilgrims. |
