Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Construction of the first Bulgarian church in London under way

Photo: bulgarianembassy-london.org

The construction of the first Bulgarian Orthodox church in London named after Saint Ivan Rilski  is progressing. To date, only the Bulgarian Orthodox community does not have its own church in the United Kingdom.

The church is being built in the heart of London, within the property of the Bulgarian embassy, about 100 meters from the Royal Albert Hall and a few hundred meters from Kensington Palace. 

In a record short period of 4 months, the project was defended before the municipality in Westminster with the efforts of Bulgarian Ambassador Marin Raykov who gave the idea for the church and received a construction permit. 

At the end of 2023, the Bulgarian government allocated money for the construction of the church. Funds were also collected from Bulgarians in Great Britain. 

The project is by the Italian architect Carlo Bughi. 

"In order for the project to be approved, it had to not disturb the architectural appearance of the building. In reality, the facade will not be radically changed. We will build a medium-sized church with a dome and we will make it so that the Bulgarian community and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church actually have a definitely representative and beautiful temple," said Ambassador Raykov.

The new church will have a capacity for between 130 and 150 people and will be completed in a year and a half.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

The "Roses of Bulgaria" festival brings together Bulgarians in Brazil

The "Roses of Bulgaria" festival will be held at the Museum of Emigration in Sao Paulo, Brazil on May 10. The cultural event is organized by the Bulgarian School in Sao Paulo, jointly with the Embassy of Bulgaria in Brazil and at the initiative of the..

published on 5/9/25 6:48 PM

Burgas celebrated the feast of its celestial patron Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker

The spring St. Nicholas Day gathered hundreds of Burgas residents at Troikata Square , where cooks offered delicious fish soup, mussels, paella and pizza with octopus, reports BNR - Burgas.  The feast in honour of the celestial patron saint of..

published on 5/9/25 5:44 PM

Do Bulgarians celebrate Europe Day or Victory Day on May 9?

Europe Day or Victory Day? May 8th or May 9th? It is not that we do not constantly encounter socially divisive topics, and the current date – May 9th celebrating the victory over Nazi Germany in 1945 in World War II also causes debates in Bulgaria year..

published on 5/9/25 12:28 PM