Saint Konstatin and Helena Church

Here, you can enter the courtyard of the church Saints Constantine and Helena—the Old Town’s oldest still active Christian shrine on the acropolis, where a pagan temple once rose. Archaeological research shows that there’s strong continuity of Christian worship at this site, but written records are thin. What anchors the Middle Ages archaeologically are finds beneath the church apse. There was a rectangular defensive tower base tied to guarding Hisar Kapia and an ossuary holding many burials—evidence of a long-used sacred precinct beside the gate. The present church dates to 1832, rebuilt on earlier foundations after centuries of destruction and renewals. The bell tower that you see was constructed in the early 20th century, as during the Ottoman rule, bell towers were restricted.

On the right side of the entrance of the church, you can see depicted the moment before the battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 AD, when Constantin, legendary, had his vision in his sleep of divine support in the war by the Christian god.

Inside, you can admire a masterpiece of an Orthodox church. Every square centimetre is decorated and filled with stories of the Christian faith. You will also notice that there is a second floor. This tradition dates back to Late Antiquity and early Christianity and is meant for the women who were attending the services.

In front of the altar, you can see the beautiful iconostasis—a soaring gilded screen carved in Baroque taste and assembled by master Yoan Pashkula, whose Viennese training shows in the luxuriant ornament. The first tier of icons includes work by the great National Revival painter Zahari Zograf; other panels were added by noted artists of the Debar school and later masters such as Stanislav Dospevski. Together they form one of Plovdiv’s finest ensembles of 19th-century Orthodox art.