Sts. Cyril & Methodius Cathedral
The largest Orthodox church in Burgas and one of the city's symbols.
The Cathedral Church of Sts. Cyril and Methodius is a must-visit on your tour itinerary. Located in the very heart of the city of Burgas on the central square named after the saints, this magnificent church is not only a spiritual centre but also an architectural, building and artistic cultural monument of national importance. It is also a proud entry in Bulgaria's list of 100 National Tourist Sites.
Photo: Alicia Fagerving / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
A rich history and spiritual heritage
The history of the cathedral is inseparable from the struggle for church independence. It rose on the site of a small wooden building, for which the prominent National Revival figure Pop Georgi Stoyanov Dzhelebov donated his own home. It was here, in 1869, that the first service in Church Slavonic was held, turning the place into a true hearth of the Bulgarian spirit before the Liberation.
Impressive architecture
Construction of the present-day church took place between 1897 and 1907 to a design by the renowned Italian architect Ricardo Toscani. The building rises an impressive 33 metres and is a striking three-nave cross-shaped basilica. Stepping through the main entrance, with its beautiful stained-glass window of the holy enlightening brothers, visitors are captivated by the five pairs of marble columns. They support the central dome, set on a tall twelve-sided drum. The iconostasis is richly ornamented, and the exceptional frescoes are the work of artists Dimitar Gudzhenov and Nikola Kozhuharov — the same masters who painted Sofia's Alexander Nevsky memorial cathedral.
Today's condition
Following a period of large-scale high-tech reinforcement works carried out between 2011 and 2016, the church is today fully restored. Innovative carbon-fibre methods saved the structure and preserved over 200 sq m of priceless original frescoes.
A visit to Sts. Cyril and Methodius offers Burgas tourists a unique blend of architectural elegance, historical memory and quiet — a true gem at the heart of the city.