St. Ludwig Catholic Church in Plovdiv

Overview

St. Ludwig is a Roman Catholic church in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The patron of the cathedral is St. Louis (Ludwig) IX, King of France (1226 - 1270). Temple holiday - August 25.

The cathedral was built in the period 1858 - 1861 by the then bishop Andrea Canova and is named after Louis IX - King of France, known as "St. Louis". It is built in Baroque style, with a highly representative facade with Baroque elements - statues, semi-columns and decorative ornaments.

The bell tower was built in 1898 and is equipped with five bells made in the German city of Bochum, a gift from Pope Leo XIII. The church is also known for the fact that for the first time in Bulgaria a musical organ was installed here.

One of the most valuable exhibits stored in the cathedral is the sarcophagus of Princess Maria Louisa, wife of the Bulgarian Prince Ferdinand I. Maria Louisa died on January 31, 1899 from a cold, shortly after the birth of her fourth child - Princess Nadezhda. Her sarcophagus is the work of the famous Italian sculptor Prof. T. Gentile and under it are written her last words to Ferdinand: "I am dying, but from heaven I will watch over you, over our children and over Bulgaria."