Church of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, Burgas

The neutrality of this article is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met. (March 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius
Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius
Location	Burgas
Country	Bulgaria
Denomination	Bulgarian Orthodox
History
Status	functioning church
Dedication	Saints Cyril and Methodius
Consecrated	1907
Architecture
Architect(s)	Ricardo Toscani
Years built	1897–1907
Specifications
Height	33 m
Administration
Diocese	Diocese of Sliven

"Sts. Cyril and Methodius" is an Orthodox church building in Burgas, Bulgaria.

The church building is included in the list of the 100 national tourist sites from 2022. It has been declared an architectural, construction and artistic monument of culture (immovable cultural value) of national importance.^[1] The church building is built in the likeness of a cathedral church - three naves with a central apse;^[2] it is called a cathedral (i.e. a church of the metropolitan in the city seat of the diocese), but it has no such status (because the seat of the diocese is in Sliven).

It is 33 meters high and is located in the center of the city, on Saint Cyril and Methodius Square,^[3] on the site of a small wooden church, which was the only Exarchist church building in the city before the Liberation.^[4] It was built in the period 1897-1907 according to the project of the Italian architect Riccardo Toscani, who worked in the city.^[5]

"St. Cyril and Methodius" differs from the churches built during the so-called Bulgarian Revival and in the first years after the Liberation from Turkish slavery. The temple is a three-nave cruciform basilica, oriented along the east–west axis. The central apse with the altar and the richly decorated iconostasis are located in the eastern part of the church. The nave divides the interior of the church into three naves by means of five pairs of supporting marble columns. The central and largest dome is built over the main nave of the church; above the side two naves are built another four smaller domes. The main dome rises on a tall twelve-sided drum with windows. The narthex in the western part of the church is higher than the central nave. The central entrance is on the west facade, and the other smaller entrances on the north and south sides are only open for special ceremonies. Master Mityo Tsanev from Dryanovo and Kuzman Dimitrov from Macedonia took part in the construction of the church. The brothers Cyril and Methodius are depicted on the beautiful stained glass window at the main entrance of the church. The church was painted by the artists Gyuzhenov and Kozhuharov, who also painted the national cathedral "St. Alexander Nevsky" in Sofia.^[6]