Showing 1-14 of 14 results
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Church of Sveta Bogoroditsa
There are notable frescoes at the Church of Sveta Bogoroditsa, the town's main cathedral. Located just off ul Ivan Vazov, the church's large green neo-Byzantine domes distinguish it on the old town's skyline.
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Church of Sveti Dimitâr
Across the river, enclosed by a high wall, is Târnovo's oldest church, the beautifully proportioned Church of Sveti Dimitâr. Built in the so-called Târnovo style, it was named after St Dimitrios, patron saint of Thessaloniki in northern Greece. During the church's consecration in 1185, Tsars Asen and Petâr proclaimed an uprising against Byzantine rule, which would create the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396). If it's closed, a warden at the Church of Sveta Petar & Pavel Church can open it.
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Church of Sveti Georgi
The Church of Sveti Georgi, probably built in 1612 on medieval church ruins, was initially destroyed by the Ottoman invaders, but restored during their rule in the early 18th century. It boats impressive murals inside. The Tsarevets Fortress ticket office arranges visits.
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Church of Sveti Nikolai
Up in Varosha, visit the Church of Sveti Nikolai, built in 1879.
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Church of Sveti Petar & Pavel
The late-13th-century Church of Sveti Petar & Pavel, features three layers of remarkable 11th- and 17th-century murals. This is the most interesting of the churches, mainly as there are some surviving early-11th-century wall paintings. The best preserved is in the corner to the left of the altar, where Jesus on the cross is being comforted by the Virgin Mary.
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Church of the Assumption
The tiny Church of the Assumption, built in 1923 over a ruined 14th-century church, is usually closed, but it's very pretty with blue-painted bas-reliefs decorating its sides.
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Forty Martyrs Church
The Forty Martyrs Church, in the old Asenova quarter, was originally built in 1230 to celebrate Tsar Asen II's victory over the Byzantines. It was used as a royal mausoleum, and then as a mosque by the Turks. Most of Veliko Târnovo's numerous churches are closed onWednesdays.
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Monument of the Asens
The Monument of the Asens is an awe-inspiring commemoration of the establishment of the Second Bulgarian Empire in 1185; there are great views over the town and river.
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Museum of National Revival & Constituent Assembly
The Museum of National Revival & Constituent Assembly, in a former Turkish town hall built in 1872, was where Bulgaria's first National Assembly was held seven years later to write the country's first constitution.
Read more about Museum of National Revival & Constituent Assembly
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Sarafkina Kâshta
Built in 1861 by a rich Turkish merchant and moneylender, the fine five-storey National Revival-period style house-museum, Sarafkina Kâshta, displays antique ceramics, metalwork, woodcarvings and jewellery, and has some fascinating exhibits about traditional costumes and breadmaking. Revival-period furniture fills the upper floor, along with vintage family photos on the walls.
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State Art Museum
Dramatically situated in a tight bend of the Yantra River, the State Art Museum contains paintings of Veliko Târnovo and the region by numerous artists. The 2nd floor exhibits more artworks, mostly on permanent loan from galleries in Silistra, Dobrich and Ruse. Guided tours (in English and French) are available for about 5 lv; entry is free on Thursdays.
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Sveti Kiril i Metodii Church
The Sveti Kiril i Metodii Church has an elegant tower.
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Tsarevets Fortress
The inescapable symbol of this proud medieval town, this reconstructed fortress dominates the skyline, and is one of Bulgaria's most beloved monuments. The Tsarevets Museum-Reserve is located on Tsarevets Hill, which has been settled since time immemorial due to its strategic location. Thracians and Romans used it as a defensive position, but the Byzantines built the first significant fortress here between the 5th and 7th centuries.
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Veliko Târnovo Archaeological Museum
Housed in a grand old building with a colonnaded terrace and courtyard full of Roman sculptures, the Veliko Târnovo Archaeological Museum contains Roman artefacts from Nikopolis-ad-Istrum and more Roman pottery and statues from elsewhere. Medieval Bulgarian exhibits include huge murals of the tsars, while there's also some ancient gold from nearby neolithic settlements.
Showing 1-14 of 14 results
