Submerged Church “St. John of Rila”

Frequently mentioned in reviews: Top-rated.online cuts through the clutter, highlighting only the reviews that are most helpful, earn the most likes, or come from the most active contributors. Its not surrounded by water anymore. Still pretty if you are in the area Zapalnya and the "St. Yoan Rilskii" Evidence of life around Zapalnya has existed since the deepest antiquity, proof of which is the single-nave, early Byzantine basilica, (IV century) with dimensions of 18.2 by 9.2 m, located in the area "Kliselika" (Cherkovishteto) 1 km west of the village. Yet, the demand for new dams required land, thus, the Zapalnya had to be demolished. The government formally declared it on 05.02.1965 via decree N° construction of the dam "Zhrebchevo", was carried out by the Council of Ministers with decree N° on 06.06.1961, which ordered the inhabitants village to dismantle the houses and other buildings and leave the by 31.12.1962. The villagers took their belongings and migrated to 22 different settlements. The only intact building in the dam is the of the of Zapalnya "St. Yoan Rilksil". The government ruling during that time had an explicit order to demolish the Nonetheless, priest Dragan Stoykov, opposed them and did not allow anyone near it by leaving the last on 01.01.1966. The dates around 1891-92, when the 80 families who used to live in Zapalnya donated funds and voluntarily worked to build the church. The construction was led and managed personally by the famous Tryavna masters Nenko and Ruyu G.N. Ruevi. sacred icons for the iconostasis as as the small movable icons for the orthodox rituals and holidays were painted by the icon painter Iv. Raev. During the holiday, on October 19, 1892, the day of St. Ivan Riski, the was sanctified by Bishop Gervasii of Levki, the Metropolitan of Sliven and temporary head of the Stara Zagora's diocese. In the course of the unstable year of 1923, the frescos on the walls were completed by the icon artists Kiril Kanchev and Prof. Mandov. On the west wall they illustrated the names of the 32 people from Zapalnya who died in the Balkan, Inter-Allied and the First World War. The became popular in its region on account of the magnificent religious artwork and frescos, which were one of the best around Stara Zagora. After 1966, the property of the was dispersed to various churches by the Stara Zagora diocese. The iconostasis was taken away and placed in Tulovo's church. Most of the moveable icons can also be found there. Three of the five eighty-liter cauldrons that are used for the preparation of the sacred dish called "kurban" were taken to the "St. Athanasius" located in the of Zlatna Livada, Chirpan region. Some of the icons and the bell that still rings to announce the death of a deceased person from Zapalnya are now located in the "St. Paraskeva", ("St. Petka") in the town of Tvarditsa. After 1966 the was defiled by atheists who vandalised and destroyed the frescos, carving away the names of the people from Zapalnya who sacrificed their lives during the wars. Later on some people used the to keep cows, sheep and pigs In 1973, the 3,800 roof tiles were stolen. The thieves used a chain tractor "Kirovets" and pulled out the iron beams connecting the walls. In order to take the chains from the chandeliers they created holes in the arch. Afterwards the was unstable and lasted 40 more years before the whole vault collapsed. In recent years, Orthodox Christians have tried to preserve it, creating a unique where pilgrims and visitors from all over Bulgaria have a place to light a candle and Christian rituals according to the the faith. Despite being crippled and ravaged by vandals, the stands as a living proof of Christian dignity and the souls of godless janissaries. "As if a "tornado" has now swept away Houses, fences, poles! That life was vibrant in this village, only the reveals it! " This is the last verse from the poem "Zapalnya" by G. Stoyanov (Dermencheto) Stoyko Popdraganov Stoykov Beautiful place,in early june 2022 it was dry The place is not always accessible to visitors depending on the water level of the dam, it's worth a visit, very interesting history. A desolate but beautiful place - very still and silent and peaceful. An easy drive to the church: you can drive past it in the dry season. Loved seeing the tiny mollusc shells on the walls. We visited in spring and it wasn't submerged and to be honest it doesn't look like it's been submerged for a good few years it was so dry everywhere and inside there were lots of shrines that would have been ruined had it been submerged. Personally, unless submerged, there isn't much to see and it's not a worthy destination although the area and reservoir itself are nice. Amazing place, very old historical church. Everyone must to go there. Заслужава се да се види. Отклонението от главния път кратко и лесно се стига до нея по асфалтов път и около 40-50м черен път пеш Лесно достъпно място! Много близо до Твърдица! За съжаление не беше потопена! Well... It was as advertised. Nothing special about the roof ornaments. You can see signs of moisture on the walls Много яко място за почивка It's a place worth skipping. Nothing to see or do there. It is actually sad to witness what was once under waters of an important artificial lake is now turning to a desert. Тази църква от 15 г не е потопена, знаехте ли го това? Намира се в края на едно поле от тръни на около километър от сегашния бряг на язовира:доста пустинен и тъжен район.., Magical place. Unfortunately it wasn't under water but still magical 😎 Website change monitoring Monitor any webpage for changes – get instant email alerts when prices drop, new jobs are posted, products come back in stock, or competitors update their sites. Tourist attraction