ПРОГРАМИ
en de ru fr es sr gr al tr ro
Podcast in English
Share
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Temple built by French crusaders in the 15th century still survives in Bulgarian village of Vladimirovo

Photo: BTA

Two churches named after St. Nicholas stand in a courtyard in the village of Vladimirovo near the town of Montana, Northwestern Bulgaria. One is an Orthodox church and the other is a half-ruined Catholic church. 

The Catholic church was built in th period 1422-1423 by soldiers of the crusader army who stayed in the then village of Preslavitsa (present-day Vladimirovo). 

For the past 25 years, the two churches have been maintained by Valentin Valkov, a volunteer from the village who is a former military officer but has now dedicated his life to the Christian faith, BTA reported. He says that the Catholic church is a monument of culture, but it is crumbling and only the heavy stone crosses in the courtyard and inside it are a reminder of the old times and its builders - soldiers of the crusader army, who came to Bulgarian lands to drive away the Ottoman invaders, but suffered defeat, after which some of them settled in different places in the Bulgarian lands.

According to Valkov, in the village of Preslavitsa there was a colony of wounded soldiers of French origin, most of whom survived and recovered, settled in the village and built their own temple. Texts from the Bible in Latin were inscribed on its walls but these have now faded. About 70-80 years ago, during the Socialist period in Bulgaria, the Latin church was painted and a slight repair was made, but then it was abandoned.

The Latin church in the village of Vladimirovo is a great rarity for Bulgaria, but it needs repairs to preserve it.

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.
Radio Bulgaria History and religion    Catholic church church crusaders Montana Preslavitsa village of Vladimirovo Vladimirovo

More from category

The Feast of the Cross is celebrated on September 14

The Orthodox Church celebrates the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The holiday celebrates the miraculous finding of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. It is one of the 12 major Christian holidays of the year.  When the cross..

published on 9/14/24 10:20 AM

The spirit of old Sofia returns to the heart of the capital with the KvARTal festival

Once upon a time, there was a remarkable neighbourhood where the construction of Old Sofia first took shape. Situated between the Royal Palace and the railway station, it was the main artery of the city - a hub of activity. This area was not only a place..

published on 9/12/24 7:55 AM

Vintage cars from the National Service for Protection fleet exposed at the National History Museum

Vintage cars from the National Service for Protection (NSP) fleet are on display at the National History Museum from today until 15 September. The exhibition marks the 145th anniversary of the service.  Visitors can see four rare vehicles preserved..

published on 9/12/24 7:50 AM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Mostly Cloudy
Min: -2 | Max: 13
Cloudy
Min: 4 | Max: 10
Cloudy
Min: 4 | Max: 10
Mostly Cloudy
Min: -5 | Max: 12
Mostly Cloudy
Min: -1 | Max: 10
Mostly Cloudy
Min: -2 | Max: 10
Mostly Cloudy
Min: -2 | Max: 9
Cloudy
Min: 2 | Max: 8
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 0 | Max: 12
Mostly Cloudy
Min: -3 | Max: 16
Mostly Cloudy
Min: -3 | Max: 10
Mostly Cloudy
Min: -1 | Max: 11
Mostly Cloudy
Min: -3 | Max: 15
Mostly Cloudy
Min: -1 | Max: 13
Mostly Cloudy
Min: -3 | Max: 10
Mostly Cloudy
Min: -4 | Max: 15
Cloudy
Min: 0 | Max: 8
Cloudy
Min: -1 | Max: 8
Cloudy
Min: 1 | Max: 8
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 3 | Max: 11
Mostly Cloudy
Min: -3 | Max: 12
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 0 | Max: 13
Mostly Cloudy
Min: -2 | Max: 14
Cloudy
Min: 0 | Max: 8
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 0 | Max: 13
Cloudy
Min: 1 | Max: 9
Mostly Cloudy
Min: -2 | Max: 12
BULGARIA IN PICTURES
Which world-famous Bulgarian artist designed QSL cards for Radio Bulgaria?
Yasen Gyuzelev
Theodore Ushev
Christo Javacheff - Christo
Ilia Peikov
Lika Yanko

BULGARIANS ABROAD

Български English Русский Deutsch Српски Français Ελληνικά Español Shqip Türkçe Română
MOST VIEWED

A bottle featuring an image of the myth of the Chimera monster discovered in a 2nd-century Roman necropolis

Archaeologists have discovered a very rare and valuable glass bottle in a 2nd-century tomb in the southern necropolis of the Roman colony Deultum near..

published on 11/9/24 6:55 AM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

Общи условия за използване на сайта | Политика за поверителност | Политика за "бисквитки"