Uspenie Bogorodichno, Gabrovo, Orthodox church building in Gabrovo, Bulgaria.
Uspienie Bogorodichno is an Orthodox church in central Gabrovo built with traditional Bulgarian ecclesiastical design. Inside, painted frescoes, a wooden iconostasis, and carved stone details create a richly decorated interior.
A church existed on this site from the Middle Ages; a 1704 Ottoman decree allowed Gabrovo residents to repair the old St Petka church. That building burned in 1798, and in 1804 a small sunken Church of the Dormition was built without official permission. It was demolished on 5 May 1865, and the present church was begun on 11 May 1865 and completed in 1866 by master builder Gencho Kanev.
Every 24 May the church holds a prayer service for Bulgarian education, and the icons of Saints Cyril and Methodius are carried out to lead the town's traditional procession. In 1872 Ilarion Makariopolski was ordained here as metropolitan of Tarnovo. The relics of Saint Onuphrius of Gabrovo are kept in the church.
The church is located on Nikolaevska Street in the town center and is accessible on foot from nearby areas. Visitors should respect Orthodox customs when entering, such as dressing modestly and observing quiet behavior during services.
The iconostasis was carved from linden wood in only three years, 1882–1885, and is a noted example of post-liberation Bulgarian woodcarving. The church also holds the relics of Saint Onuphrius of Gabrovo and the bones of priest Ivan Gabenski, hanged in Tarnovo in 1876.
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