The Church of St. Demetrius of Thessolaniki or St. Dimitar Solunski, is located northeast of Trapetitsa, on the right bank of the Yantra River. It is the oldest church in Veliko Tarnovo and is precisely dated to medieval times.
It is closely related to the riots against the Byzantines in 1185. This is the place where the first kings of the Bulgarian Asen Dynasty – Peter, Ivan, and Asen were crowned. Later, a monastery was added to the church whose ruins attest to the active monastic life. The fate of the church and the monastery is not different from other places of worship. It was devastated by robbers and heavily damaged during the second half of the 19th century. It was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1913. Some elements of the building and its frescoes are fully restored.
Based on research done in 1971 to clarify the architectural plans and rich external decorations, the church began renovations in 1977. It was restored and opened to visitors as a museum in 1985, in connection with the 800 year anniversary of the rebellion of Assen and Peter, and the declaration of Veliko Tarnovo as the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire.