The Cathedral “Assumption of the Holy Mother”

The honour to lay the first stone of the Cathedral was given to prince Alexander Batenberg, who had arrived in Varna on 4th of August. The ceremony itself was held on 22nd of August 1880, after a tanksgiving service held by the bishop Simeon in the presence of many citizens.

After the ceremony the prince amnestied all prisinors from the Varna jail, who had three months left from their sentences. The Cathedral was named after the Russian Empress Maria Alexandrovna, benefactress of the Bulgarian people and an aunt of the prince, who had died recently.

The first chosen place - “5000 sq. arshins municipal land next to the government hall” (behind the Watch) wasn’t approved by the prince. “His Highness chose the place behind the living borders, opposite of the barrak on the one side and the hospital on the other, this is between the new neighbourhood and the town of Varna.” This was the end of the town those days. “The place chosen for the Cathedral is a very large area, which allows making a garden around the Cathedral. This place is higher than Varna and the whole town can be seen from it, including the railroad, many villages, the port and the vast Black Sea, also the two cultivated areas around Varna can be seen…” And really, few are the photos and postcards from old Varna in which the Cathedral cannot be seen.

The building of the Cathedral lasted six years. The project was given to the Odesa architect Maas, and the design was the same as the Peterhoffs cathedral in Peterburg. The contract made with him was estimated at 60 000lv, but soon he asked for additional money. The commission decided to buy Maas’ plan and gave up his services. Thus only the foundations were put according to Maas’ plan, and the building itself was being built according to the plan of the city architect P. Kupka.

The church was supposed to be a basilica with three altars. The main altar was dedicated to the Assumption, the north to prince Alexander Nevski and the south to St. Nikolai.
During the summer was sent a telegram to Kolio Ficheto, a famous architect, but he didn’t agree to build the Cathedral. The temporary leading of the building was given to Vasil Ivanov, an architect from Varna. He was succeeded by Ianko Kostandi, who had built the church “St. Nikola”. On 15th March 1884 the commission gave the building to the famous church builder Gencho Kanev from Triavna.

On the following year the Cathedral itslef was finished except for the roof which was done by September. The first lithurgy was said on 30th August 1886. The throne from the interior of the Cathedral was made by Niko Mavrodi in 1897 and the iconostasis was made by Ivan Filipov.
In the end of January 1890 was decided that “instead of making a new building and giving away 30 000lv, the dome should be lifted, so the bell will be heard in whole Varna.”
In 1942-43 the bell tower was overbuilt to the present-day 38 metres. Situated in the center of Varna, the Cathedral is one of the most famous buildings in the city nowadays.