One of my goals whilst in Plovdiv was to hike to the top of the 6 hills that the city was built upon. Originally there were seven however, one was used to make the streets! Climbing in old town, three of these hills are available. One is Nebet Tepe, currently closed (😥) and another is Taxim Tepe to which sits the beautiful tiny church Xpam Cbetn Apaxahrenn (храм Свети Арахангели).
Cyrillic Alphabet
Bulgaria uses the Cyrillic alphabet which has made visiting that much more challenging. I need to apologize here to anyone; the above spelling of the church is the best my English keyboard can do. For the life of me, I cannot find the name of this church in English, so in butchered Bulgarian it is.
Getting There
Once you have arrived in Old Town, keep walking to the very highest point you can possibly find. Here is where I stumbled onto this treasure of a temple of faith.
Xpam Cbetn
The church looks new however I am unable to provide any information as to its history. From the outside it is charming, bright white with deep red bricks against a blue sky. Inside is where the magic happens. I was allowed in this day, and what met me was polished grandeur.
The Bulgarian Orthodox church is small but packs a powerful punch of remarkable beauty. Inside the dome is a mosaic of Jesus looking down and inside the cove at the altar is another gorgeous gold mosaic of Mary. On the day I visit, there was only myself, a priest and a nun. Two large bouquets of lilies where filling the air with such a strong heavenly fragrance.
The Views
Now don’t visit without going over to the edge of the far wall. You will be greeted with stunning views of Plovdiv city and a Bulgarian Revival House located beside the church.
Walking into Old Town from another direction on another day, I was lucky to look up and see this beautiful church from below.
Getting lost in Plovdiv has proven to be a great way to discover treasures that I had not known existed. This sweet little church is one of those. I climbed as far as I was allowed on Nebet Tepe and have reached the top of Taxim Tepe. Three hills down, three to go. ☺️
