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| Church of the 40 Martyrs |
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The Church of the 40 Martyrs (Sveti Chetirdeset Machenici in Bulgarian) was erected to the order of Tsar Ivan Assen II in honour to his victory over the Byzantine troops at Klokotnitsa, on March 9, 1230. It was later considerably damaged during the Ottoman domination, when it was turned into a mosque and the wall paintings washed over with lime. Some of the paintings have however been rescued. The most valuable remains from the original church are three columns with inscriptions: Assen's column with an inscription dedicated to his victory; Omurtag's (814 - 831) column with an inscription describing the building activities; and the column with an inscription of Khan Krum (9th century).
On September 22, 1908, Prince Ferdinand declared Bulgaria's independence in this church which is now celebrated at the Tsaravets Fortress every year with high politicians and religious leaders coming to town to participate in the celebrations.
In 1972 a tomb and a solid gold signet ring with an inscription “Kaloyan’s Ring” was found in the northeastern part of the church. According to experts, this is the tomb of Tsar Kaloyan (tsar of Bulgaria 1197 - 1207).
virtualtourist.com |
| Tuesday, Aug 27, 2013 |
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| » RENTALS |
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| Apartment |
€ 450 |
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| Location: |
Veliko Tarnovo |
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