Description of the attraction
Church of Sts. Constantine and Helena is an Orthodox church located in the very center of the old part of Veliko Tarnovo. The temple was built in 1872 by the craftsman Kolu Ficheto (Nikola Ivanov Fichev). When creating Ficheto, it was very well possible to combine various architectural forms and elements, for example, many note the excellent combination of semi-cylindrical, elliptical and cross vaults. The bell tower adjacent to the church also looks very organic.
On October 7, 1873, the church was consecrated by the first Bulgarian bishop Illarion Makariopolis.
As a result of the earthquake in 1913, the building suffered significant damage. In the 20s of the XX century, the temple was restored and dedicated to the holy Tsar Boris. Church of Sts. Constantine and Helena is also known as the "revolving column church". Inside, visitors can see the original old icons created by the craftsmen of the Tryavno school of icon painting and the artist Nikolai Pavlovich.
In the 1980s, restoration work began, but, unfortunately, was soon stopped due to the lack of documents on the property. Today the building is still surrounded by scaffolding and continues to deteriorate. There are also no two rotating columns near the main entrance (which gave the church its second name).
