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August 08, 2007, 2:15 AM BG, 11:15 PM GMT

History and Religion

Published on November 13, 2005 at 8:27 PM BG
Updated on November 17, 2005 at 9:49 PM BG

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170th anniversary of the construction of the Holy Trinity church in Bansko

The celebrations on the 170th anniversary of the construction of the Holy Trinity Orthodox church in the town of Bansko in southwestern Bulgaria began in early October with a solemn Holy Liturgy read by three metropolitans and the Father Superior of the Bulgarian monastery on Mount Athos, Father Ambrosius.

It is considered the largest Orthodox temple in the Balkans dating back to 1835, when Bulgaria was still under Ottoman domination. Lazar German was a wealthy Bansko resident, who contributed the money and the land for the construction of the Holy Trinity church. A civic association after his name co-organized the celebrations on the 170th anniversary of the completion of the construction of the church. The association held also a social gathering of the descendants of the clans who had donated funds for the construction of the church and released a leaflet with the names of the donors. The full list numbers 270 families and 1081 personal names, and bears no details as to the amount of individual donations. The association aims at preserving the authentic atmosphere of the town of Bansko and the local arts and crafts, as well as the traditional values of the people from the region by means of studying the local history. Here is what Nathaniel, metropolitan of Nevrokop, told a news conference on the 170th anniversary of the Holy Trinity church in Bansko:

“The temple is the symbol of the deep faith and the love of Bansko residents for their fellow Bulgarians, but also the sacrifice they did to preserve the Bulgarian spirit and nation. In Christian tradition a temple has always stood for the unity of the people inhabiting the town or village, and who, in the words of Jesus Christ, “become one”. It is to this effect that the church of the Holy Trinity in Bansko sends us back in time tracing our roots, and presents us with an occasion to pay homage to the lifetime of Bulgarian patriots, who carried the free-spirited creative spark in their souls. Lazar German, a wealthy banker, whose business had offices all over Europe, inspired his fellow townsmen to donate money and manual labour to the construction of the Holy Trinity church. If this was possible in the time of Ottoman domination, then present-day Bulgarians should be adamant to bring their cultural heritage to the treasury of European heritage.”

Local craftsmen carried out the construction of the temple all by themselves: the interior decoration, the iconostasis with the icons, the clock tower and the clock on the belfry, and even the bells were cast in the local foundry. Bulgarians residing abroad have already made donations for the restoration of some of the church plate and the frescoes on the ceiling and the walls. Here is the chairman of the civil association with details of the history of the church:

“The merchants of Bansko had been touring the great temples of Europe in search of a sample to build their own church on. Their choice had fallen on St. Stephen’s cathedral in Vienna. And they make the holy ritual of burying a cross and an icon deep under ground on the site of the would-be church. The story about how the residents of Bansko got the permission for the construction of the church from the Ottoman authorities is very interesting. The residents of Bansko needed a special occasion to ask permission, so when a son was born to the pasha (governor) of Thessaloniki, Bansko residents sent a delegation to offer gifts to the mother of the child. And when the pasha asked them what he could do to please them they asked for permission to build a church. And it was not before long that the sultan granted his approval and issued the ‘ferman’ (edict) to this effect. At that time it was forbidden for Orthodox churches to exceed mosques in size. So, the residents of Bansko decided to add two crescents to the cross and when the Ottoman authorities said the church was obviously exceeding the allowed size, they produced the argument that they were building a temple for both Jesus and Mohammed.

Lazar German mortgaged his real estate, and contributed his savings to the construction, which began in 1834. But then the money was all used up. Lazar German went to a high-ranking Ottoman official to borrow money under the pretext of trading in sheep. But he spent the loan on the construction of the church. However, somebody betrayed his secret and the Ottoman authorities arrested him and threw him in jail. It is not known whether he died there or was executed, but one thing was certain: no one heard from him ever again. Two years after his disappearing the church was consecrated. It was not before another 15 years elapsed that the clock tower was erected, and the Veleganov brothers in Plovdiv cast the bells in 60 years’ time. But then again a trick was very much needed to fool the Ottoman authorities and what they came up with this time was the inscription ‘cast during the reign of Sultan Hamid the Second’.

The Holy Trinity church in Bankso never fails to amaze visitors with the enormity of the space, the three massive wooden doors cast with iron and the many arched windows. Woodcarver Velyan Ognev has turned the wooden ceiling into a night sky populated by clouds and angels, and the graceful expression of the saints on the large iconostasis is to the credit of icon painter Dimiter, the Moller. The women’s section at the far end of the temple has two floors and an exquisite grated wooden knotwork.

Written by Elka Yoncheva

English version by Radostin Zhelev

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