Shipka Memorial Church, the Temple of the Birth of Christ
The Memorial Temple of the Birth of Christ, better known as the Shipka Memorial Church, rises above the town of Shipka at the foot of the Stara Planina mountains. Built between 1885 and 1902 in the style of seventeenth-century Russian churches, it commemorates the Russian soldiers and Bulgarian volunteers who died in the war of liberation of 1877–78. Its gilded domes and slender bell tower make it one of the most striking sights in central Bulgaria.
Its bells were cast from cartridge cases gathered after the battles of Shipka Pass, and the heaviest weighs about 12 tonnes. A Russian-style church with golden onion domes stands on a Bulgarian hillside.
The history of the Shipka Memorial Church
The Shipka Pass was the scene of fierce fighting in the summer of 1877, during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 that led to the liberation of Bulgaria. Russian soldiers and Bulgarian volunteers died there. After the war the idea arose of a church to remember them. The initiative came from Count Nikolay Ignatiev and Olga Skobeleva, mother of the Russian general Mikhail Skobelev, who had become a hero of the war. The money was collected as donations, mostly in Russia but also in Bulgaria.
Building began in 1885 and lasted until 1902. The church and its bell tower follow a design by Antoniy Tomishko, executed under the architect Alexander Pomerantsev, who also designed the iconostasis. They are modelled on seventeenth-century Russian churches and the old churches of Russia's Golden Ring. The walls are of red brick, with white window frames, and five gilded domes crowned with crosses rise above the roof: a larger one in the centre and four smaller ones. A male monastery, a pilgrims' house and a seminary were built beside it.
The temple was opened with a ceremony on 27 September 1902, attended by generals of the Russian army and many guests. The date coincided with the twenty-fifth anniversary of the battles of Shipka Pass; one of the sources gives the 28th, so the exact day differs. The slender, richly decorated bell tower is 53 metres high and holds 17 bells. The heaviest, about 12 tonnes, and the others were cast from the cartridge cases collected in the area after the fighting.
Inside, 34 marble plates carry the names of Russian regiments and the names of 8,491 officers, soldiers and volunteers killed in the war. In the crypt, 17 stone sarcophagi hold the remains of the fallen, and the ossuary is said to contain the bones of nearly 9,000 Russian and Bulgarian soldiers. The walls were painted twice: in 1902 and again between 1957 and 1959. In 1970 the church was declared a national monument of culture, and it is now part of the Shipka-Buzludzha historic and architectural reserve. The Polish article calls it the first monument of Russian-Bulgarian friendship.
Curious facts about the Shipka Memorial Church
- The bells were cast from cartridge cases gathered after the battles of Shipka Pass; the heaviest weighs about 12 tonnes.
- The bell tower is 53 metres high and has 17 bells, richly decorated with arches, columns, majolica and gilding.
- On 34 marble plates inside, the names of Russian regiments and of fallen Russian soldiers and Bulgarian volunteers are inscribed.
- The crypt holds 17 stone sarcophagi, and the ossuary is said to contain the bones of nearly 9,000 soldiers.
- The interior was painted twice, in 1902 and again between 1957 and 1959.
- The church appears as No. 92 on the Bulgarian Tourist Union's list of the Hundred National Tourist Sites.
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Visiting the Shipka Memorial Church: what to expect
- The church is both an Orthodox place of worship and a memorial to the war dead, so quiet, respectful behaviour is expected.
- From outside, look at the red-brick walls with white frames, the five gilded domes and the 53-metre bell tower.
- Inside, the marble plates with names, the gilded three-tier iconostasis and the crypt are the main points of interest.
- The sources give no visiting details, so check the current opening hours and conditions, including access to the crypt, before you go.
- The Tomb of Seuthes III (about 2 km), the Ostrusha tomb (3 km) and the Shipka Memorial on the pass (4 km) are all close by.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where The Memorial Temple of the Birth of Christ (Shipka) is
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Questions
What is the Shipka Memorial Church?
It is the Memorial Temple of the Birth of Christ, a Bulgarian Orthodox church near the town of Shipka, built in the Russian style between 1885 and 1902. It is dedicated to those who died in the war of 1877–78.
Where is the Shipka Memorial Church?
It stands in the town of Shipka, Kazanlak municipality, at the foot of the Stara Planina, about 13 km below the Shipka Pass.
Why was the Shipka Memorial Church built?
It commemorates the Russian soldiers and Bulgarian volunteers who died in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78. Funds came from donations collected in Russia and Bulgaria.
How tall is the bell tower?
The bell tower is 53 metres high and holds 17 bells. The heaviest, about 12 tonnes, was cast from cartridge cases collected after the battles.
What is in the crypt?
The crypt contains 17 stone sarcophagi with the remains of the fallen, and the ossuary is said to hold the bones of nearly 9,000 Russian and Bulgarian soldiers.
What else is worth seeing near the Shipka Memorial Church?
The Tomb of Seuthes III, the Ostrusha tomb and the Shipka Memorial are within about 4 km, and the Valley of the Thracian Rulers lies about 5 km away.
Also nearby
Tomb of Seuthes III
Shipka · unrobbed royal Thracian tomb with golden wreath
2 km away
Thracian Tomb Ostrusha
Shipka · six-room Thracian tomb-temple with a painted ceiling
3.5 km away
Shipka Memorial
Shipka · tower with a giant lion, reached by 890 steps
3.5 km away
The Valley of the Thracian Rulers
Kazanlak · over 1,500 Thracian burial mounds in the Rose Valley
5 km away