Church St. Mina
St. Mina is a Renaissance church in Kyustendil. It was built in 1859 as a monastery shrine. According to its plan it is a three-nave pseudo basilica without a nartex. A south portico leads to a small underground chapel with holy spring.
Initially, the church was a rickety building of wattle, plastered with mud, whitewashed and covered with tiles. In 1890 the roof was revamped and the four sides were made of bricks.
The iconostasis’ icons are an art-work by Vasil Zograf from Strumitsa who worked in the town of Kyustendil in 1860. Other icons were painted by Yanaki Zograf from Samokov (1861), Danail Shtipliyata (1862) and Ivan Dospevski (1874). Some of the icons and frescoes were completed in 1886 and 1893 by Evstati Popdimitrov.
Neighbouring the older one, the new church St. Martyr Mina was built in 1934.
After the Bulgarian Liberation the monastery residential buildings were reconstructed into an orphanage and in 1970s were pulled down.
The church was restored in 1986.
Address: Between Tsar Osvoboditel and Hadzhi Yoakim Streets, Kyustendil
Do you know that:
- the famous mountaineer Ludmil Yankov lived in Kyustendil.
- Pautalia was among the most flourishing cities in Ancient Times.
- the International Competition for Classical Guitar “Academic Marin Goleminov" is organized annually in Kyustendil.
