Chruch "Saint Ivan Rilski"

Overview

St. Ivan Rilski" is an Orthodox church in Targovishte. The building is located in a small garden in the northern part of the city center, near the central market. The church is dedicated to the first Bulgarian hermit St. Ivan Rilski. Construction of the building began in 1912, but was later halted due to the outbreak of the Balkan War. It was finally built in 1936. In 1961 a unique wood-carved iconostasis was installed, made by Prof. Petar Kushlev.

In the 1970s, the church was extensively renovated with a donation from Andrew, Metropolitan of New York, diocesan prelate of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church to the United States, Canada and Australia. Connected with Targovishte (he spent his school years in the city), Metropolitan Andrei is buried in the narthex of the church "St. Ivan Rilski ”after his death in 1972.

The icons in the church are the work of the icon painter Hristo Apostolov from Debar, with the exception of those of the Mother of God and Christ, which are the work of Prof. Georgi (Gocho) Bogdanov.