St. Panteleimon Church, Slivarovo village

Overview

The church “St. Panteleimon ”in the village of Slivarovo (Kladara - the old name of Slivarovo) was built in the XIX century. The construction of the Slivar temple began in the distant 1869, on the ruins of an old chapel of the same name. It was consecrated in the following 1870 by the first priest in the village - priest Todor Keranov. This came after a visit to the area by Bishop Antim Preslavski (the future Bulgarian Exarch Antim I), who was sent by the Constantinople Patriarchate to Malko Tarnovo to prevent the growing influence of Catholicism in the Malko Tarnovo region. After the construction of the Kladar church, around it on the day of St. Panteleimon (August 9, old style) became a large fair-fair, which was attended by people from the surrounding villages of Malko Tarnovo, Gramatikovo, Kosti and others. Today the village fair of Slivarovo is held on August 9, the day of St. Panteleimon. St. Panteleimon is a favorite when choosing a patron saint for local churches and chapels. In Strandzha it is known as Petelay. He is worshiped as a protector of travelers and those in need on the road, as well as a healer. According to its plan, it is a three-nave basilica with a women's section and an open vestibule. The icons of the church are the work of icon painters from Tryavna, Lozengrad and Strandzha. The bell tower of the church, as in most churches in Strandzha, is separated from the church, located 10 meters southwest. In fact, it is probably the closest bell tower to the border (only about 150 meters from the border with Turkey) in Bulgaria.