Church of St George, Panagyurishte
Encyclopedia
The Church of St George is a Bulgarian National Revival
church in the town of Panagyurishte
, Pazardzhik Province
. The church is situated at 300 m to the north-west of the town's central square. It is considered the main church of the town and when built St George was among Bulgaria
's largest and most imposing churches.
The construction of the church began in 1856 and ended in 1860. It is a large edifice with two symmetrical towers and a colonnade on the western facade. The colonnade used to be painted but the frescoes were destroyed when the Ottomans burned the town during the April Uprising
in 1876. The church was restored between 1878 and 1880. The new iconostasis
was made by craftsmen from Struga
.
The church is named after St George, the patron saint
of Bulgaria.
Bulgarian National Revival
The Bulgarian National Revival , sometimes called the Bulgarian Renaissance, was a period of socio-economic development and national integration among Bulgarian people under Ottoman rule...
church in the town of Panagyurishte
Panagyurishte
Panagyurishte is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, situated in a small valley in the Sredna Gora mountains. It is 91 km east of Sofia, 43 km north of Pazardzhik, and 37 km south of Zlatitsa. The town is the administrative centre of the homonymous Panagyurishte...
, Pazardzhik Province
Pazardzhik Province
Pazardzhik Province is a province in Southern Bulgaria, named after its administrative and industrial centre - the town of Pazardzhik. It embraces a territory of 4,456.9 km² that is divided into 11 municipalities with a total population of 290,614 inhabitants, as of December 2009.-History:The...
. The church is situated at 300 m to the north-west of the town's central square. It is considered the main church of the town and when built St George was among Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
's largest and most imposing churches.
The construction of the church began in 1856 and ended in 1860. It is a large edifice with two symmetrical towers and a colonnade on the western facade. The colonnade used to be painted but the frescoes were destroyed when the Ottomans burned the town during the April Uprising
April Uprising
The April Uprising was an insurrection organised by the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire from April to May 1876, which indirectly resulted in the re-establishment of Bulgaria as an autonomous nation in 1878...
in 1876. The church was restored between 1878 and 1880. The new iconostasis
Iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church...
was made by craftsmen from Struga
Struga
Struga is a town and popular tourist destination situated in the south-western region of the Republic of Macedonia, lying on the shore of Lake Ohrid. The town of Struga is the seat of Struga Municipality.-Etymology:...
.
The church is named after St George, the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Bulgaria.