Church of the Holy. Trinity
   Photo: Church of the Holy. Trinity

Holy Trinity Church - is one of the oldest Orthodox churches in the town of Velingrad. During the Ottoman rule the Turkish authorities did not allow Christians to build churches bell, so the first church on the site was built in such a way that it was almost completely hidden under the ground and had no windows. Later, however, when the Turks became more used to the religion of the Bulgarians, the growing population of the city has decided to expand the underground church. Above the building it was made by a small annex with a roof and windows.

At the beginning of the XIX century velingradtsy felt the need for the construction of a new large basilica. It was built on the foundations of an old stone church in 1816 (at the southern entrance is a commemorative plate with the time of construction). In accordance with Turkish laws at the church bell tower it was not, it appeared only after the Liberation in 1878. Later the building was also built out porch.

Two rows of four marble columns divide the interior of the basilica into three naves. The walls and vaults of the temple are decorated with paintings with images of Jesus Christ, Orthodox saints and scenes from the Holy Scriptures. In the middle of the XX century the old iconostasis was replaced with a new one - a wooden, carved.

In past years, the temple was an important spiritual and educational center, so now it is not only the architecture, but also an important cultural monument of the town of Velingrad.

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