The Armenian Church of the Holy Mother of God in the city of Silistra, Bulgaria, is 400 years old.
According to Armenpress, this was reported by the Bulgarian news agency.
The Holy Mother of God is considered the oldest Armenian church in Bulgaria. Years ago, during renovation works on the church, a stone slab indicating the date of construction was discovered.
The church’s dome is unique for its frescoes, which, according to researchers, are a rare feature for Armenian churches. It has yet another distinctive characteristic: the openings above the central towers on the southern and northern sides of the church, which serve to improve the sound acoustics.
The walls are covered with paintings created with religious oil, many of which are the work of Silistra-born painter Bedig Bedrosyan.
The church is situated in a courtyard of approximately 180 square meters, which also contains a small house for the priest and a building that once housed the Armenian school and now contains the community center and the memorial to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, designed by Diran Abelyan.
