Church of St. Ascension - Vratsa

Overview

The church "St. Ascension ”or church-monument“ St. Sofroniy Vrachanski is located in the center of Vratsa, next to the Revival ethnographic complex "Sofroniy Vrachanski". The church is the oldest religious building in the city, built in 1848. Until the 70s of the XIX century the church "St. Ascension ”is one of the most significant church buildings in Bulgaria. In 1939-1940 a tower with a bell tower was added to the western facade of the church. The magnificent wood-carved iconostasis, made in the "Empire" style, is the work of the remarkable master - Anton Stanishev from Debar. The icons from the large iconostasis were painted by the prominent representative of the Samokov Art School, called by his contemporaries "the most skilled" - Dimitr Zograf. Here is the tomb of Bishop Agapius, a generous donor to the church and schools of the city, killed in the temple by the Turkish enslaver during the preparation of the 1850 peasant revolts. The church and the temple buildings to it became the basis for the construction of the Revival - ethnographic complex "St. Sophronius, Bishop of Vratsa", which is part of the Vratsa Historical Museum. A permanent exhibition "Old Bulgarian Art from Vratsa" was opened in the church, presenting the best examples of icon painting and woodcarving.