Bulgaria Inside

St. Bogoroditsa Church
St. Bogoroditsa cathedral in the town of Pazardzhik is the biggest revival period church in the country. It was built in 1837 and according to the legend, the Ottoman ruler allowed locals to build a church only if it was lower than a mosque.

Part of the church has been dug into the ground to meet the condition. The ruler was impressed with the wit of locals and allowed the construction.

The church has been named a monument of culture of national importance because of its ornate decorations. The iconostasis has been placed under UNESO protection. It is the work of carvers from the Debursko-miashko school.

One of a kind wall paintings decorate the inside. Some of the icons date back to 1837.

History Museum
Pazardzhik’s regional history museum was created in 1911. It happens to be one of the oldest museums in the country. A restoration studio functions alongside the museum, together with a library and a photo lab.

A special building of area 1200 sq m was set up to host the museum collections. Items have been organized in various groups among which archaeology, history, ethnography, new and modern history.

The museum is situated on 15 Konstantin Velichkov square. It welcomes visitors each day from 9 am to midday and from 1 pm to 5 pm. To learn more about Pazardzhik, click here.

Stanislav Dospevski’s Memorial House
Stanislav Dospevski is the alias of Zafir Zograf, nephew of Zahari Zograf and also known as the first Bulgarian painter who gained academic degree in art.

The memorial house was Dosepvski’s home. It resembles a typical Tsarigrad (present-day Istanbul) building from the period. It has two floors that host six rooms.

The museum collection includes personal belongings, documents and some of Dospevski’s works.

To visit the house, go to 54 Maria Louza street. It is open each day, except for Saturday and Sunday, from 8 am to midday and from 2 pm to 4 pm.