Saint Anthony Church, Eastern Orthodox church in Melnik, Bulgaria

Saint Anthony Church is a single-nave, single-apse church in Melnik, measuring 13.9 by 6.1 metres, with a women's section at the west end. Its interior, furnished in 1881, is typical of the Melnik Art School: a painted coffered ceiling with Christ Pantocrator in a central medallion, a carved wooden iconostasis with royal doors, bouquets on the base panels, and wall paintings by Lazar Petrakidis and assistants that show draperies, flowers and a still life.

Built in 1869, the church became an important religious center for the Bulgarian Orthodox community of Melnik. Its creation coincided with a period when local communities were rebuilding their institutions and strengthening their traditions.

The church is associated with a belief in miraculous healing of people with mental illness; an iron chain used to restrain violent patients is still kept there. The interior was furnished and decorated in 1881, according to a detailed donor inscription, and the icons are by Lazar Argirov and assistants.

The church is accessible during daylight hours and visitors can move through the interior to observe the architecture and wall paintings at a comfortable pace. Visitors should dress modestly and speak quietly since it remains an active place of worship.

An iron chain kept inside the church was once used to restrain violent mentally ill people, who were believed to find miraculous healing there. The church also holds an icon of Saint Athanasius of Athos dated 1757, donated by the abbot of the Great Lavra.