A church built in Tarnovo by Kolyu Ficheto during the Renaissance needs urgent repair

The east and west walls are cracked, new foundations, columns, drains need to be made

The Turnovo Church “St. Nicholas” together with the belfry and the old church school in the courtyard is now an immovable cultural value from the Renaissance with the category “National Importance”.

This became a fact at the end of March – on the Annunciation, after decades of waiting, during which the church built by Kolyu Ficheto was collapsing.

Last, in 1985, the Institute for Cultural Monuments included the temple in the updated list of cultural monuments in Veliko Tarnovo as an architectural-historical monument.

In 2022, the Specialized Expert Council for the Protection of Immovable Values ​​made the decision to move the iconic church into this category, but the ministerial signature was only given a few weeks ago.

The new statute will allow the church board to apply to the state

for repair money.

It is especially necessary because the temple has been in a state of emergency for years. More than 4 million BGN are needed to repair the damage caused by the weather.
188 years will be completed in 2024 from the construction of “St. Nicholas” in the ancient “Varusha” district of Turnovo.

It was built between 1834 and 1836 by Usta Kolyu Ficheto – our famous Renaissance architect, builder, stonemason, so that during the Renaissance, the first Bulgarian church school, the library and community center activities, as well as the First Gymnasium in the old capital were born to it.

Not just anyone, but Grandpa Slaveykov testified that Bulgaria was born in Veliko Tarnovo in the “St. Nicholas” church. For most, it is known for the fact that in February 1879, here our first deputies debated the so-called a national issue before the opening of the Constituent Assembly and while they adopt the Tarnovo Constitution.

The head of the temple, Father Slavcho, recalls the historical facts of the last two centuries.

“Antiquity is threatened with collapse,” he warned, and for years he has been trying to find money for restoration.
With donation campaigns over the past 3 years, which also include Bulgarians living abroad, a lot of funds have been collected, but they are extremely insufficient for major reconstruction and strengthening, the priest pointed out.

Father Slavcho recalled that in 2018 the church board began working with Prof. Arch. Nikolay Tuleshkov from the University of Construction, Architecture and Geodesy in Sofia.

“He is the great-great-grandson of our church singer – David Tuleshkov, who sang in the church 100 years ago,” said the priest.

Thanks to the donation of the architect and Assoc. Dr. Miglena Prashkova from VTU in 2018-2019,

prepared technical plans for the conservation and restoration of the church “St. Nicholas”

along with the old church school and bell tower. The express opinion of Arch. Tuleshkov, and the Ministry of Culture (MK) is that the authentic appearance of the temple should be preserved from the outside and inside.

The plans have been drawn up, approved by the Institute for Real Estate Heritage and the MK, and 3 years ago a construction permit was given by the mayor Daniel Panov. The activities at that time amounted to over BGN 2.7 million according to the prepared quantity bill. Today they have almost doubled.

“The temple and the entire Varusha quarter are located on a large slope. The eastern and western walls are cracked due to this large slope, and new bases, foundations, drains, columns must be made.

The dome should remain on scaffolding, the roof should be exposed from above and new steel elements should be placed to hold the roof, walls and columns,” Father Slavcho explains the scale of the undertaking.

In addition to structural strengthening, the three-nave pseudo-basilica, whose walls are up to 1.20 m thick, will have new installations, gas underfloor heating, renewed flooring. The idea is for the temple to retain its revival style and to have no incompatible architectural innovations.

The splendor of the frescoes, icons, carvings will be restored. The iconostasis, the bishop’s throne, the pulpit, the proskinetaria are among the most valuable in the interior. It is believed that they are from the construction of the temple and are the work of Kolyu Ficheto and the people of Stanyu Neikov – Marangozina.

The projects also include the restoration of the bell tower built in 1872. The last repair was in 1913, when an earthquake knocked it down.

The other part of the plans are for the old church school, which was built in 1839 and currently houses the library and the church choir rehearsal room.

Already at the beginning of the design work, the team paid attention to the fact that in the 60s of the last century a mistake was made and the temple was not declared with the status of a national site.

Documents were submitted and in December 2022 they were examined by the Specialized Expert Council for the Protection of Immovable Cultural Values ​​and a decision was made to categorize the temple and its adjacent buildings as a cultural monument of national importance. Since then, the waiting for the order begins.

“In the municipality of Veliko Tarnovo, documents for application for projects have already been submitted, from where additional funds can be procured to start the repair works.

Restoration will be a complex and difficult procedure

and it cannot be started without the whole amount, because the roof will have to be removed, the foundations dug, and many other things which require prompt action.

We hope that this new status will also lead to funding from the state, for which we are looking for an option for the fourth year, but for now the European funds are directed to the smaller municipalities, and there is none for Veliko Tarnovo”, says the head of the temple Father Slavcho.