Metropolitan church, Orthodox cathedral church in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria

The Metropolitan Church is an Orthodox place of worship featuring traditional architectural elements including domes and detailed religious artwork throughout its interior. The walls and ceilings showcase painted religious imagery created in the Orthodox artistic tradition.

Built between 1840 and 1844 on the site of an older church that had a metochion of Rila Monastery and a cell school founded before 1800, the church was raised by the master builders Done and Hristo from Smoymirovo in the Maleshevo region. In 1850 a school was built west of it; it burned down and was replaced in 1881 by a three-storey school that has not survived. In 1948 Metropolitan Boris of Nevrokop was buried in the northwest corner of the open gallery, under a granite sarcophagus.

Regular services here follow Orthodox traditions with church choral singing that connects worshippers to their religious heritage. The space serves as a gathering place where the community practices its faith together.

The church is located in central Blagoevgrad and is easy to access on foot. Visitors should dress modestly and respect any ongoing services when entering.

The church keeps six icons from 1812 painted by Hristo Dimitrov for the older church on this site, among them the patronal image of the Presentation of the Virgin and an Archangel Michael taking the soul of a rich man. The three-tiered iconostasis, 12.5 m wide and 7 m high, was carved by Samokov masters, probably Atanas Teladur and Stoycho Fandakov.