Church & monasteryNorthern Bulgaria & the Danube

The Church of St Demetrius of Thessaloniki in Veliko Tarnovo

The Church of St Demetrius of Thessaloniki is a medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church in Veliko Tarnovo, the former capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire. It stands at the foot of Trapezitsa hill on the right bank of the Yantra and is tied to the 1185 uprising of Asen and Peter. Rebuilt in the 20th century from the surviving apse, it is a memorable stop for anyone interested in Bulgarian history.

According to legend, the brothers Asen and Peter announced that the warrior saint Demetrius had abandoned Thessaloniki to help the Bulgarians, and they built this church for him before the 1185 revolt.

WhereAt the foot of Trapezitsa hill, on the right bank of the Yantra, in Veliko Tarnovo

TypeMedieval Bulgarian Orthodox church, reconstructed in the 20th century

Best forHistory fans, lovers of medieval art and architecture, and visitors exploring Veliko Tarnovo on foot

Getting thereIn Veliko Tarnovo, close to the foot of the Trapezitsa and Tsarevets hills, outside the medieval fortifications

The history of the Church of St Demetrius

The church stands at the northeastern foot of the Trapezitsa and Tsarevets hills, on the right bank of the Yantra River and outside the city's medieval fortifications. Bulgarian sources describe it as the oldest and most precisely dated medieval church in Tarnovo. It is linked to the proclamation of the uprising of 1185, led by the boyars Asen and Peter, which threw off Byzantine rule and led to the re-establishment of the Bulgarian Empire, with Tarnovo as its capital. The Byzantine chronicler Niketas Choniates tells that the revolt was proclaimed here.

A legend adds a vivid detail: the brothers announced that Saint Demetrius, the warrior patron of Thessaloniki, would leave his city and come to Tarnovo to help the Bulgarian rebels, and they built and consecrated a church in his honour. It is thought that the church served as a royal church in the early years of the empire and received donations from members of the Asen dynasty. Bulgarian sources add that the first rulers of the dynasty, Peter, Asen and Kaloyan, were crowned in it.

The church was part of a large monastery, in whose south-eastern part it stood. Both the church and the monastery were destroyed in the second half of the thirteenth century, probably by an earthquake. Archaeologists later found a large Christian necropolis in the old monastery yard and the ruined buildings; it was used under Ottoman rule, and over 500 burials have been studied and are kept in an ossuary in the north of the yard. During the Bulgarian National Revival the church was associated with the leatherworkers' guild.

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century the church was plundered by robbers, and in the second half of the nineteenth century it was in very poor condition, as Bulgarian and foreign researchers, including Felix Philipp Kanitz, noted. The earthquake of 1913 destroyed it completely, leaving only the apse with fragments of the original frescoes. Archaeologists first dug in the nave and courtyard between 1906 and 1921, and full scientific excavations began in 1971 under Yanka Nikolova and M. Robov. They revealed the plan of the church, its building phases and its rich exterior decoration.

The church was reconstructed from 1977 to 1985 from the surviving remains and from the example of better-preserved Bulgarian churches of the same period; the project was led by the architect Teofil Teofilov. It was opened as a museum in 1985 for the 800th anniversary of the uprising of Peter and Asen. It has one nave, one five-sided apse, a cross-domed plan with a narthex, and walls of stone alternating with three rows of brick, decorated with blind arches, glazed rosettes and coloured painted shapes. Of the original frescoes, two layers survive, an earlier one and a later one.

Curious facts about the Church of St Demetrius

The legend says the boyars Asen and Peter announced that Saint Demetrius would desert Thessaloniki and come to Tarnovo to aid the Bulgarian rebels.
Bulgarian sources call it the oldest and most precisely dated medieval church in Veliko Tarnovo.
The earthquake of 1913 destroyed the church completely, leaving only the apse and fragments of the original frescoes.
The rebuilt church is a reconstruction of a building with no known graphic image of the original.
The church is named after Demetrius of Thessaloniki, who was born in that city in the third century and, according to the tradition, was speared to death in 306.
Over 500 burials from the later Christian cemetery on the site are kept in a special ossuary in the north of the churchyard.

Tours near Church of St Demetrius of Thessaloniki, Veliko Tarnovo

Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:

ATV/QUAD Off-Road Tour in Veliko Tarnovo and Arbanasi

★ 5 (61 reviews) · 1.5 h

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Admission Ticket to Illusions in Museum in Veliko Turnovo

★ 4.8 (41 reviews) · 1 h

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Interactive Presentation about Bulgarian Poets

★ 5 (19 reviews) · 40 min

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Veliko Tarnovo and Arbanasi day tour from Sofia with pickup

★ 4.9 (19 reviews) · 10 h

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Visiting the Church of St Demetrius: what to see

The church has been a museum site since 1985, so it can be visited as a monument rather than a working parish church.
Look at the exterior: the blind arches, the glazed ceramic rosettes and the coloured shapes in the stonework are typical of late medieval Tarnovo churches.
Inside the altar area, remains of two layers of frescoes survive, among them the church fathers of the early layer and the Pietà of the later one.
The ossuary with burials from the old necropolis stands in the north of the yard.
Check the current opening hours before you go. The Trapezitsa and Tsarevets hills, with Baldwin's Tower, are close by.

Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.

Map: where Church of St Demetrius of Thessaloniki, Veliko Tarnovo is

Photos of Church of St Demetrius of Thessaloniki, Veliko Tarnovo

Questions

What is the Church of St Demetrius of Thessaloniki in Veliko Tarnovo?

It is a medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church in Veliko Tarnovo, the former capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire. It is tied to the 1185 uprising of Asen and Peter.

Why is the church important to Bulgarian history?

According to the Byzantine chronicler Niketas Choniates, the uprising of Asen and Peter that restored the Bulgarian Empire was proclaimed here in 1185.

Is the church original?

Only partly. The 1913 earthquake left just the apse with fragments of frescoes, and the church was reconstructed between 1977 and 1985 based on the remains.

Where is the Church of St Demetrius in Veliko Tarnovo?

It lies at the northeastern foot of the Trapezitsa and Tsarevets hills, on the right bank of the Yantra River, outside the medieval fortifications.

Who was Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki?

Demetrius was a warrior saint, born in Thessaloniki in the third century according to the tradition. He is the patron to whom Asen and Peter dedicated the church.

What else is near the Church of St Demetrius?

Baldwin's Tower and the Trapezitsa hill are about 1 km away, and the Holy Forty Martyrs Church and Transfiguration Monastery are also in the Veliko Tarnovo area.