The Holy Forty Martyrs Church is one of the most emblematic medieval churches in Veliko Tarnovo. Built at the foot of Tsarevets Hill, it was declared a historical monument in 1964; it is closely connected with the history of Bulgaria.
It was built and decorated to celebrate the great victory of Tsar Ivan Asen II against the Byzantine ruler Theodore Komnin, on March 22, 1230. This provided military-political influence of the Bulgarian Kingdom in the Balkans with an outlet to three seas: the Black, Aegean, and Adriatic.
Historians suggest that the church was built around the Royal Monastery, which is one of the most important medieval monasteries in the area of the city.
After the conquest of the city by the Ottomans in the 16th century, the church was converted into a mosque. This is undoubtedly the reason the temple was saved, as all churches and monasteries in the surrounding hills were destroyed during the Ottoman period (1396-1878). After the liberation in 1878 it was reverted to a Christian church. The most famous people buried inside are the Bulgarian Tsars Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II, as well as the Saint Sava.
Sanctuary
Bulgaria
Macedonia
Romania
Veliko Tarnovo