Varna Religious Sights Tour

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1 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 - Varna Religious Sights Tour Varna is a city with many great places of worship that bring the history of faith in Bulgaria into a sharp focus. In a mostly Orthodox Christian country, the majority of Varna's churches are part of this confession. However there are also some mosques that reflect the once powerful influence of the Ottoman Empire. Take our tour to see the key places of worship in Varna. Guide Location: Bulgaria» Varna # of Attractions: 7 Tour Duration: 2 hour(s) Travel Distance: 3.0 km Please note: This walk is also featured in the ios app "Varna Map and Walks" on itunes App Store and the Android app "Varna Map and Walks" on Google Play. The apps provide GPS navigation to guide you from one tour stop to the next, so you will never be lost. The apps offer additional walking tours in Varna. Check them out! GPSmyCity offers self-guided walking tours in over 1,000 city around the world. Please visit gpsmycity.com for more walking tour offers. List of attractions included in this self-guided walking tour: A) St. Paraskeva Petka Orthodox Church B) Aziziye Mosque C) Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral D) St. Nicholas Orthodox Church E) St. Sarkis Armenian Orthodox Church F) Virgin Mary Panagia Orthodox Church G) St. Atanassiy Orthodox Church Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 -

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3 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 3 - A) St. Paraskeva Petka Orthodox Church The Sveta Paraskeva Petka Church - also known simply as Sveta Petka - was founded in the first years of the 20th Century. Unlike some other churches in the city, it remains intact in its original state. Interestingly, it was not painted until 1973 when a number of icons were added to the walls. These fascinating images of saints complete the experience of what is already a very beautiful church. Address: Georghi S. Rakovski Street, 36, Varna, Bulgaria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Корисник B) Aziziye Mosque Located on Angel Georgiev Street, the Aziziye Mosque is so old that nobody knows for sure when it opened. Some say it was founded back in This beautiful mosque features a classic square-based minaret to the right of the entrance. The mosque took its name from Sultan Abdul Aziz of the Ottoman Empire, who reigned in Address: Angel Georgiev Street, Varna, Bulgaria Image Courtesy of Flickr and saital C) Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral (must see) The Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral is the largest and most famous Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in the Bulgarian Black Sea port city of Varna, officially opened on 30 August It is the residence of the bishopric of Varna and Preslav and one of the symbols of Varna. The decoration of the Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral began after 1949 under Professor N. Rostovtsev, who donated the narthex murals. 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 copper domes, damaged by patina, were reconstructed and gilded in Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 3 -

4 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 4 - the spring of The façade was renovated the same year. "(The above description is based on Wikipedia under Creative Common License)" Address: Kirill and Mifody Square, Varna, Bulgaria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Harrieta171. Sight description based on wikipedia D) St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (must see) Built in 1865, the St Nicholas church was funded by Paraskeva Nikolau, who bequeathed 50,000 roubles for its construction. Initially, when opened, it was thought of as a Greek church due to its Greek Orthodox style, unusual to Bulgarians. Address: Kniaz Boris I Boulevard, 35, Varna, Bulgaria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Pavlov E) St. Sarkis Armenian Orthodox Church (must see) This church was completely destroyed by fire in 1843; its reconstruction started only a year later. Seen from above, the rebuilt temple resembles a cross in the form of an unusually shaped bell-tower dome that is typical of Armenian and Georgian temples. The walls are painted in a byzantine manner and feature artistic icons. Address: Han Asparuh Street, 15, Varna, Bulgaria Image Courtesy of Flickr and timofair Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 4 -

5 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 - F) Virgin Mary Panagia Orthodox Church Founded in 1602, this church is situated next to the Roman Baths. It was burnt down and then restored in Until 1914 the church was under the tutelage of the Greek Archdiocese. Closed for ten years, it was reopened in The most important treasure of this church is its icons. The church itself is rather small due to the strict regulations imposed on Christian churches by the Ottoman rulers. Address: Tsar Kaloyan Street, Varna, Bulgaria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Eldelabarca G) St. Atanassiy Orthodox Church (must see) This church was built in 1838 on the same site as a previous structure of the same name, which was destroyed by fire in Many beautiful icons are stored here, and the church itself is very ornately decorated. There are beautiful images of flowers, animals, tree leaves and crosses adorning the church walls. Address: Graf Ignatiev Street, 19, Varna, Bulgaria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Svilen Enev Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 -