The Holy Forty Martyrs church in Veliko Tarnovo - a shrine in Bulgarian history

March 9 is the feast day of the Church of the Forty Martyrs in the town of Veliko Tarnovo - a place of exceptional importance for the Bulgarian statehood, which worthily preserves the memory of the glorious Tarnovo kings. ‎

On March 9, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church honors the memory of the Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. These are 40 valiant warriors who refused to worship the old pagan gods and in 320 accepted a martyr's death for their faith in Christ. ‎

The medieval complex is nestled above the Yantra river right where the river winds between the two fortified historical hills of Tsarevets and Trapezitsa. Even after falling under Ottoman rule, Bulgarian craftsmen, merchants, and clergy lived near the monastery in the Asen neighborhood. To this day, 7 churches have remained, some of which are still in operation. But the most emblematic church for the medieval Bulgarian capital is the church of the Forty Holy Martyrs. Its history is intertwined with the most significant events of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (1185–1396), and after the Liberation (1878) the church was once again the scene of key events that predetermined the future of our resurrected state.

Bulgarian children learn about the glorious battle of Tsar Ivan Asen II at the village of Klokotnitsa at school. In the early spring of 1230, the Bulgarians defeated the army of the ruler of Epirus Theodore Komnenos at this place. After the convincing victory, the Epirus ruler was captured along with his family and retinue. The victory came on March 9 and was perceived as a sign for the Bulgarians that they had divine protection and help from the Holy Forty Martyrs. In honor of the warrior spirit and the magnificent victories of all Bulgarian rulers, Tsar Ivan Asen II built the temple of the same name.

Tsar Ivan Asen II capturing Theodore Komnenos, painter Nikolai Pavlovich

At that time, Tarnovo was a Christian Orthodox stronghold with over 50 active churches considered the foundation of prosperity – 23 on Tsarevets Hill (with 4 monasteries) and 21 on Trapezitsa Hill (with 21 monasteries). ‎

The church of the Forty Holy Martyrs has become a pantheon of the first builders of Bulgaria, since it is here that the three ruling columns are kept - of Khan Omurtag from the 9th century, the column of Tsar Ivan Asen II dating to 1230, as well as a fragment of a border column from the time of Khan Krum, which is more than 1,200 years old. These are some of the most significant ancient Bulgarian epigraphic monuments, and their collection in one place, although they were created at different times, aims to emphasize in a categorical way the continuity in Bulgarian statehood.‎

And last but not least - in the courtyard and in the annex of the church are the graves of deceased members from the royal Assen dynasty. The bones of Tsar Kaloyan rest here - after thorough research, the mortal remains of the ruler were solemnly reburied in the church on April 19, 2007, 800 years after his death. This is also the place of eternal rest for the Queens Anna Maria and Irina.

Inside the church is also the grave of the highly revered Saint Sava of Serbia, so the temple is a holy place of worship for guests from neighboring Serbia as well.

The Forty holy Martyrs Church has endured many of the vicissitudes of time. During Ottoman times, it was converted into a mosque and Christians were not allowed inside. But despite this, even today, what Tsar Ivan Asen built continues to stand in its place and serves as irrefutable evidence of the deeds of great rulers and the trust in God with which Bulgarians have gone through the darkest moments in history.

Today, the Church of the Forty Holy Martyrs is a cultural monument and, although it is not a functioning church, on the patron saint's feast day a service is held there in the presence of laypeople from near and far. The story of the experienced tour guide Svetlana Petkova also draws attention to the monastery "Great Lavra", part of which the church of the Forty Holy Martyrs was once also part:

"After the construction of the church of the Forty Holy Martyrs, a monastery also arose. There is an arch by the entrance - there was a chapel where the bones of the monastery's monks were reburied, and here, attached to the fortress wall, were the monks' rooms. It was a men's monastery, you can also see the refectory, which was a very beautiful room with vaults and frescoes. In the northern part of the monastery, the foundations of several farm buildings are visible. In the southern part of the church there is a small courtyard, where the abbot's chambers were located".

After the fall of Bulgaria under Ottoman rule /1393/ the church continued to be an active temple until the 16th - 17th centuries, when the Turks turned it into a Muslim house of prayer. "They even built a minaret, which for unknown reasons constantly fell down," says Svetlana Petkova and continues:

"The church itself has different periods of its existence, but the most important is when Tarnovo was the capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. During the scientific study of the church which began after the Liberation, the first archaeological society was formed here, headed by Marin Drinov and Vasil Beron. But the most serious archaeological research began during the time of Tsar Ferdinand, and they were not only in Tsarevets and Trapezitsa, in the remains of the ancient Roman city of Nicopolis, but also in the Forty Holy Martyrs church", says Svetlana Petkova and takes us back to a curious story related to one of the good doctors from the mid-19th century - Hristo Daskalov:

"Then he managed to heal the wife of the Turkish governor and restore the health of the imam of the Muslim monastery, which was functioning on the site of the church at that time. The Turks, in gratitude, allowed him to enter the church and this doctor managed to copy the authentic inscriptions from the columns of Krum, Omurtag and Ivan Asen II with great precision, sending them to the Russian Slavists. And it was since 1860 that the civilized world has been paying attention to this Bulgarian shrine. It is no coincidence that excavations began here immediately after our Liberation from Turkish slavery. Even immediately after our Liberation, on March 9, the church was consecrated and Orthodox services resumed in the temple. Already in 1935, the church was declared a national antiquity."

In the temple, Prince Alexander Battenberg was proclaimed the first ruler of free Bulgaria. Prince Ferdinand, and later the king, was also crowned with power in this holy place. During the wars of the 20th century, the battle banners of Bulgaria were also consecrated here. Therefore, according to historians, this church is of great importance, not only in the medieval, but also in the modern history of Bulgaria.

"A memorable date is February 10, 1879, when the Constituent Assembly in Veliko Tarnovo began its activities," says Svetlana Petkova. This was the first attempt at parliamentarism in free Bulgaria, after Prince Alexander Dondukov-Korsakov /one of the founders of the Principality of Bulgaria/ signed the protocol for the opening of the Constituent Assembly and after all the foreign representatives, with cavalry and brass band, gathered in the Forty Holy Martyrs Church.

"Then the first chairman of the Constituent Assembly - Exarch Antim I, served a prayer service in honor of this new parliamentary life of our newly liberated Fatherland. It is also in this place that Prime Minister Stefan Stambolov married his wife. It is no coincidence that our Independence was proclaimed here by Prince Ferdinand, exactly at 12 o'clock on September 22, 1908."