Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

A new temple near Sandanski bears the names of Saints Anthony and Athanasius the Great

Photo: BTA

The only chapel in the country to bear the names of Saints Anthony and Athanasius is in Sandanski, and its consecration will be performed by His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim of Nevrokop, reports Andon Kotev - one of the initiators of the idea to build the temple.

Kotev told BTA that there used to be an old temple on the site of the chapel, which also bore the names of the two saints. In October 2000, the place where the new chapel would be built was marked with a plaque and a cross. The construction was financed by the family of Andon Kotev, with the support of Violeta Atanasova and Father Georgi Saradinov. The idea of building the chapel of St Anthony and St Athanasius the Great drew other donors.

Today the temple is completely finished and attracts more and more Christians. It is frescoed in the Bulgarian style and the names of the saints on the icons are also written in Bulgarian.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

St. John of Rila and St. John of Kronstadt – two great saints united in love for people

Today, August 18, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church marks the Dormition of St. John of Rila – the heavenly patron of Bulgaria. He is the most beloved saint in Bulgaria and is revered even beyond the borders of this country. We associate..

published on 8/18/25 9:30 AM

Bulgaria's largest church from the National Revival Period celebrates its feast on the Assumption of the Theotokos

The history of the largest Bulgarian church in Bulgaria from the National Revival period "The Assumption of the Virgin Mary" in the town of Pazardzhik is long and interesting. It is assumed that the first church there was built in the 17th century. It..

published on 8/15/25 7:25 AM

110 years since the test flight of the first Bulgarian aeroplane

On 10 August 1915, the first Bulgarian-built aeroplane took to the skies for a test flight in Bozhurishte. It was designed by inventor Assen Yordanov, whose name still features in the textbooks used to train pilots and engineers today. From an early..

published on 8/10/25 8:50 AM