Description of the attraction
The Church of the Holy Great Martyr Mina is an Orthodox church in the Bulgarian city of Kyustendil. It is located in the west of the city. The church was built in 1934 near the old church of St. National Renaissance mines.
Back in 1923, the council of the old church of St. Mines decided to build a new church. The project of Anton Tornov, a Bulgarian architect, won first prize at a competition in Sofia. The foundation of the new church was laid on June 20, 1926. By its architecture, the church of the great martyr St. Mina is a miniature copy of St. Sophia's church. Alexander Nevsky. The temple was consecrated in 1934 on November 4 by Metropolitan Stephen of Sofia.
The church is distinguished by its impressive architecture, it has two domes, as well as many window niches. The facade of the building is lavishly decorated with stucco and decorative elements. The church has two floors and a basement that covers the area under the entire building. The interior of the walls is covered with frescoes, and there is also a carved wooden bishop's throne covered with intricate patterns from natural motives. The iconostasis was made by masters Kostas, Evtim and Petr Filipov from the village of Osoy, which currently belongs to the Republic of Macedonia. The artist from Sofia the Apostle of Christ Frachkov painted icons for the iconostasis, and also created murals for the interior decoration of the church.
The Church of the Holy Great Martyr Mina is active, it is one of the most representative Bulgarian Orthodox churches. It bears the name of Mina Kotuan, a Christian saint. He was an Egyptian soldier who served in Phrygia in the city of Cotuan in the army of Emperor Diocletian. After his army was victorious in 296, Mina refused to kill any Christian and publicly confessed that he was a Christian himself. After being brutally tortured, Mina was beheaded. In Abu Men, not far from Alexandria, a basilica was built, where the remains of the great martyr were kept, later it was destroyed by the Arabs.
