The Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral

The Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral (Катедрален храм "Успение Пресвятия Богородици" or Катедрален храм "Успение Богородично") is the largest and most famous Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in the Bulgarian Black Sea port city of Varna, officially opened on 30 August 1886. It is the residence of the bishopric of Varna and Preslav and one of the symbols of Varna. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church with some 6. ... Map of the Black Sea. ... Varna (Bulgarian: Варна) is the third largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 351,552(10. ... August 30 is the 242nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (243rd in leap years), with 123 days remaining. ... 1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) // Events January 18 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ... Preslav ( Bulgarian: Преслав) was capital of the First Bulgarian Empire from 893 to 972. ...

History

Planning

During Russian Knyaz Dondukov-Korsakov's visit to Varna, he noticed the need for a cathedral church that would suit the needs of the growing city's population of Eastern Orthodox Christians. Metropolitan Simeon gathered the community to elect a commission aimed at preparing the construction of a new church, particularly selecting the spot, raising money and securing timber and building materials. The construction was evaluated at 300-400,000 French francs, most of them expected to be collected by means of voluntary donations. The 15,000 francs that were initially collected were quickly laid out, but the Bulgarian government granted a sum of 100,000 leva and a lottery of 150,000 2-lev tickets was run. Kniaz’ or knyaz is a word found in some Slavic languages. ... Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ... French Franc. ... The Lev (lv) (Bulgarian: лев, plural - лева, левове) is the currency of Bulgaria, and it has been used since 1881. ...

Primarily materials from the vicinity of Varna were used for the construction of the cathedral. Stones from the destoyed fortified walls of the city were collected, material for the façade was brought from the neighbouring villages of Lyuben Karavelovo and Kumanovo, the inner columns were made of local stone. The outer columns under the windows used Ruse stone and the arches relied on limy freestone. Copper plates for the roof, as well as elevating gear to lift the blocks of stone, were brought from England. The defensive wall of Braşov, Romania. ... Ruse (Bulgarian: Русе; Turkish: Rusçuk) is the fifth largest city in Bulgaria, having a population of 178,000. ... Isometric view of a typical arch a complete idiot is a curved structure capable of spanning a space while supporting significant weight (e. ... A freestone is a stone used in architecture for molding, tracery and other work required to be worked with the chisel. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st...

Another view of the cathedral

The foundation stone was laid by Bulgarian Knyaz Alexander on 22 August 1880 after a solemn ceremony and prayer in front of a crowd of Bulgarians and Armenians. Interestingly, the Knyaz gave amnesty to all the local prisoners that had three months or less left to spend in prison. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (833x841, 165 KB) eo: Varno (BG), katedralo de la ĉieliro de Kristo it: Varna (BG), cattedrale dellascensione di Cristo Foto de la alŝutinto el 2005. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (833x841, 165 KB) eo: Varno (BG), katedralo de la ĉieliro de Kristo it: Varna (BG), cattedrale dellascensione di Cristo Foto de la alŝutinto el 2005. ... The foundation stone of a building or structure is intended to record for posterity the official start of its construction. ... Early Bulgar leaders bore the title of baltavar (balt-avar), which literally means ruler of Avars. Later they acquired the title Khan and Khagan, still later the title tsar. ... Alexander Joseph of Battenburg (April 5, 1857 - November 17, 1893), the first prince of modern Bulgaria, reigned from April 29, 1879 to September 7, 1886). ... August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

The name that was chosen, Dormition of the Theotokos, was in memory of Russian Empress consort Maria Alexandrovna, a benefactress of Bulgaria and aunt of the Bulgarian knyaz, that had recently died. King George V of the United Kingdom and his consort, Queen Mary A queen consort is the wife and consort of a reigning king. ... Marie of Hesse Princess Maximilienne Wilhelmine Marie of Hesse and the Rhine (8 August 1824-8 June 1880) was a princess of Grand Ducal Hesse and, as Marie Alexandrovna, Empress consort of Alexander II of Russia. ...

The initially selected spot was not liked by the knyaz, who preferred a location on a hill in the then-outskirts of the city, where a garden could also be arranged and so that the cathedral could be seen from the whole city.

Construction

The project for the cathedral, modelled after the temple in the Peterhof, was by an Odessan architect by the name of Maas. Construction began immediately after the foundation stone was laid and took six years. Initially, the local government concluded a 6,000-leva contract with the architect, but he soon asked for more resources, so the commission decided to buy his plans but not engage him with the construction. Thus, the foundations were laid after the plan of Maas, whereas the building itself followed the plan of municipial architect P. Kupka. Peterhof: the Samson Fountain and Sea Channel Peterhof, (Russian: Петергоф, Petergof, originally Piterhof, Dutch: Peters Court) is a series of palaces and gardens, laid out on the orders of Tsar Peter the Great, and sometimes called the Russian Versailles. It is located about 20 km west and 6 km south... ODESSA (German Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen; The Organization of Former SS-Members) was/is a national socialist German network set up towards the end of World War II by a group of SS officers, among whom were Martin Bormann and Heinrich Himmler. ...

Accoding to the project, the cathedral is a basilica featuring a nave and two aisles and a size of 35 by 35 m, with the main altar being dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos, the north one to Saint Alexander Nevsky and the south one to Saint Nicholas the Miracle Worker. St. ... Links to full descriptions of the elements of a Gothic floorplan are also found at the entry Cathedral diagram. ... In a modern church an aisle is a row down the middle of the church with a set of pews on each side. ... The metre (Commonwealth English) or meter (American English) (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ... The Dormition of the Theotokos is the Eastern Orthodox commemoration of the falling asleep or death of Mary, the mother of Jesus. ... Monument in Saint Petersburg Saint Alexander Nevsky listen ( ♫) (Александр Ярославич Невский in Russian; transliteration: Aleksandr Yaroslavich Nevskiy) (May 30, 1220?–November 14, 1263) was a Russian statesman and Grand Prince of Novgorod and Vladimir (from 1252). ...

The issue of selecting a master builder was discussed in the summer of 1880, but the negotiations with Kolyu Ficheto from Tarnovo proved unsuccessful. Local master Vasil Ivanov was given the temporary guidance, the job was however was assigned to Yanko Kostandi after a long search. On 15 March 1884, the commission entrusted Gencho Kanchev from Tryavna with the task. The temple was erected in the following year, the roof was finished in September and the first church service was given on 30 August 1886. 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The art gallery in Dryanovo, designed by Kolyu Ficheto Nikola Fichev (Никола Фичев), commonly known as Kolyu Ficheto (Колю Фичето) (1800-1881) was a Bulgarian National Revival architect, builder and sculptor born in Dryanovo in 1800. ... Veliko Tarnovo (Cyrillic: Велико Търново, Great Tarnovo, also Veliko Turnovo) is a city of approximately 65,000 people in North-central Bulgaria, 240km north-east of Sofia. ... March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in Leap years). ... 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Typical architecture of Tryavna Tryavna (Трявна) is a town in central Bulgaria, located near Gabrovo. ... August 30 is the 242nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (243rd in leap years), with 123 days remaining. ... 1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) // Events January 18 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ...

The cathedral at night

Furnishing

The furnishing of the interior, however, also continued in the following years. The bishop's throne, the work of Niko Mavrudi, was placed in 1897 and the iconostasis was manufactured later by master Ivan Filipov from Debar. It was decided that a new and separate bell tower would not be erected and instead a dome would be lifted. The bell was supposed to weigh 100 poods (1.6 tons) and bear the inscription "In honour of the Liberator". 42 small and 3 large icons were brought from Russia as a donation by Nicholas II in 1901, additional 8 intended for the middle and north doors following in 1904. The church's floor was covered with ceramic tiles of different colours in 1911 and the balcony was finished four years later. 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Iconostasis of Elias prophet church, Yaroslavl In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis (the plural is iconostases, whose last syllable rhymes with ease) is a wall of icons, religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. ... Debar (Macedonian: Дебар, Albanian: Dibra) located in western Macedonia near the city of Gostivar, and the border with Albania. ... The Belltower at University of California, Riverside, a center piece of the campus at UC Riverside. ... Pood (Пуд in Russian) or pud is a unit of mass equal to 40 funt (фунт, Russian pounds). ... The word ton or tonne is derived from the Old English tunne, and ultimately from the Old French tonne, and referred originally to a large cask with a capacity of 252 wine gallons, which holds approximately 2100 pounds of water. ... Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia Nicholas II of Russia (18 May 1868 – 17 July 1918)(in Russian Николай II (Nikolai II)) was the last crowned Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland. ... 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ...

The 38 m-high belfry was fully erected between 1941 and 1943, the domes took their current appearance in the period, steam heating was installed and the construction of the roof was changed as well. It was initially very hard to find a contractor to sponsor the repairs, as well as the securing and transportation of materials. The decoration of the Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral began after 1949 under Professor N. Rostovtsev, who donated the narthex murals. The chandeliers that were then installed were the work of woodcarver P. Kushlev. For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday. ... The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area. ... A chandelier in the U.S. vice presidents ceremonial office in the White House A chandelier is a ceiling-mounted fixture with two or more arms bearing lights. ...

The large painted windows were installed in the 1960s. Saints Cyril and Methodius are depicted on the larger south ones (looking towards the square), while the north ones portray St Angelarius and St Clement of Ohrid. The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... Cyril and Methodius were two Eastern Orthodox missionaries; for the separate articles, see: Saint Cyril Saint Methodius This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

The copper domes, damaged by patina, were reconstructed and gilded in the spring of 2000. The façade was renovated the same year. The Statue of Liberty gets its green color from the patina formed on its copper surface Patinas are chemical compounds formed on the surface of metals. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

Sources

• Katedralen hram "Uspenie Presvyatiya Bogoroditsi". Varna.info.bg. Accessed 19 March 2006.