Holy Trinity Church

The Holy Trinity Church together with the tower and the unique ring of the bells is the symbol of Bansko.

The preparation for the construction of the church began in 1810. The center of the village was choosen as the right place for the church. The location for the construction of the church was donated by the people of Bansko, the first donor was grandfather Lazko.

In the years of Turkish slavery there was a law, that a church can be only built on a place where earlier stood another church. Because of this the people from Bansko digged secretly a cross and an icon on the selected location.

According to the Turkish laws a church can not be bigger than a mosque. According to the project, the church should be much larger and spacious than a normal mosque and that would lead to conflicts with the local Turkish government. In order to avoid the problems the people from Bansko decided diplomaticaly to present the Turkish religious symbol in the new church. That's why on the great stone over the central entrance of the church a cross and on its both sides a half – moon with a star were painted.

Later, when the Holy Trinity Church was built it was ordered to destroy the church because Christ can not have a bigger temple than those of Mohammed. But the people from Bansko said diplomatically that the temple is for both since a cross and half – moons were painted. In this way the church was saved from destruction.

The permission for the construction of the Holy Trinity Church was issued by the sultan. The request to the sultan had to be submitted by the turkish pasha in Thessaloniki. It was required the application to be supported by gold. Grandfather Lazko knew that it was not enough. He decided to wait for the right moment. One day came the news that the first son of the pasha was born. A group departed from Bansko to bring a present to the pasha’s wife. The project for the church was presented to the pasha, and touched he said: “wait for a firman”. The firman was obtained in 1833 and a list of donors was made. At that time Bansko had 3 neighbourhoods with 100 - 120 houses.

The building expanded in 1835. The organizer insisted that every capable man should work on the building. The building started with about 350 masters, stonemasons, brick layers, woodworkers, apprentices and volunteers from the village. The legends explain how workers increased the construction in the night and expanded the borders of the church. The church was growing with one step every night. While the turks were sleeping, the people from Bansko were working. The money wasn't enough and grandfather Lazko went to seek money from Altan Bay in Nevrokop, but when he understood for what he gave the money, Altan Bay ordered grandfather Lazko to go to him and that was the last information for Lazko. Supposedly, he was detained and later killed.

Grandfather Lazko wasn't alive to complete the work of his life - the Holy Trinity Church. The icons were collected for years in order to finish the church. The construction of the tower began 15 years later, it is also built with donations of the local population. In 1855, the two brothers Veleganovi poured four bells for the tower, as it was ordered write the name of the sultan on them - a well known diplomatic way for the people from Bansko. In this way the turks couldn’t throw them from the tower.

The completed Holy Trinity Church is a three – shipped basilica which with a length of 44 meters, width of 22 meters and height of 12 meters. The architecture of the building was made so that it deceived the normal eye as it looked smaller, but actually wasn’t. The walls of the church are 110 cm. thick in the ground, the entrance doors and windows are made of cutted stones. The altar is a half of 18 - angle prism and it ends with a beautiful stone cornice. The construction consists of strong fir beams. The entire weight of the roof is brought by 12 columns, they symbolize the 12 Christ's martyrs, the columns are made of fir.

There are three entrances in the church, the icon of Holy Trinity is painted over the main entrance. Under it on the both sides of the Christian cross, but slightly lower, the half – moons, the Turkey armorial, are painted. They saved the church from destruction.

Initially there were not murals. The church was decorated by the artist Velyan Ognev with ornaments and plant patterns only around the windows. The yard of the church is surrounded by stone wall with a height of 4 meters, in this way nobody could see what happens inside. Nowadays, the church is preserved thanks to the humanity and responsiveness of the people. It brings joy to everyone who respects the faith, tradition and art.

The legends says that under the church and the entire old town there were tunnels which served the people to hide from the invaders. Except the small doors, from which the rebels slipped from house to house under the city, there were tunnels leading out of the town. There is a small iron door on the ground floor, which leads to a fireproof storage. The money and donations for the church were saved here.

In 1850, fifteen years after the construction of the Saint Trinity Church, the people from Bansko began to build the tower - it had to be so impressive as the church. It was built separately in the yard of the church and represents a quadrangular pyramid. It rises 30 meters above the city and is opened from the four sides. There are 4 meter stone archs which make it possible to look at the beautiful valley. Above the roof raises a cupola. The roof ends with a beautiful fir cross on which top there is a gold – plated lightning – conductor.

The tower is entirely built with large stones, which are big blocks in the corners and smaller in the middle. In every corner of the building there was a master, and the whole construction was conducted by the main master Gligor Doyuv or the well – known "master Boar”. He died at age of 108 in 1909. The tower can be entered from a thick iron door and a vaulted stone entrance.

The clock’s mechanism placed in the tower works perfectly even nowadays. The clock’s mechanism weights 500 kg. Its wheels are driven by the two large oblong stones, hanged on ropes. The creator of the famous clock is a master from Bansko - Todor Hadjiradonov. His clocks count the time in Petrich, Blagovegrad, Zograf Monastery, Istanbul and many other places. The ring of his clocks is carried on all over Bulgaria.

Nowadays, the descendants of Veleganovi brothers live in Plovdiv and keep not only the memory but also the relics of their famous ancestors.