Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah Sevlievo city

Overview

In the very center of today's city rises one of the symbols of Sevlievo, the temple "Holy Prophet Elijah". It is difficult to establish exactly when it dates back, but it probably existed at this place in the late seventeenth century. This is a definite testimony of church activity. In the middle of the 18th century the activity of the church community was attested by an inscription on an icon, donated to the Zografski Monastery "St. Nicholas" on March 5, 1749 by Sevlievo pilgrims led by the church epitrope.

In the first quarter of the 19th century, the participation of the church community in all spheres of public life was reflected in the Parousia of the Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah, conducted in Bulgarian and Greek by the most prominent member of the board and Hadji Stoyan Nikolov. This book, registered in October 1824, is preserved in the fund of the Historical Museum and is part of the permanent exhibition. Sevlievtsi took care of the material well-being of the church and in the Record Book it is noted that in the 20s of the XIX century it has 5 shops, 2 houses, 2 basements / warehouses /, 2 ovens, many church books, furniture and clothes. and a few thousand pennies.

In 1834 the old Sevlievo church "St. Prophet Elijah" was renovated "fundamentally". From the old church to this day are preserved 2 icons painted by Simeon Tsonyuv from Tryavna in 1830. Icons have been ordered for the new beautifully made wood-carved iconostasis. Those from the so-called "royal order" painted by one of the most famous Bulgarian painters Zahari Tsanyuv. The icon painter Atanas Minchov fulfilled the order for some of the icons from the "upper row". The iconostasis, the work of masters Yonko Marangozchiyata and his son Nikola Mateev, is a masterpiece of woodcarving. Talented masters have intertwined floral motifs, birds and panels with biblical scenes, with elegance that is difficult to describe. The iconostasis has been declared a national cultural monument.

At the end of the 19th century, the church became more impressive with its domes. The entire mural in the 1930s is the work of academic artists and perfectly complements the beauty of domes, arches and pendants. After specialized restoration activities on the frescoes and some of the icons at the beginning of the XXI century, the old Church of God in Sevlievo once again sparkled with all its timeless beauty.