Preslav Steet №43, Varna
History:
The Catholic Church “Immaculate Conception of St. Virgin Mary” is located on Preslav Street №43 in Varna. The building is an Architectural cultural with local value, declared in 1982.
/ Declaration Letter №414 from 04.02.1982г./.
From 1883 until 1885 the first Catholic Church in Varna has been built with a big financial help from the Austrо-Hungarian Emperor Franz Yosef the First and with the help of France. The church was called “Immaculate Conception of St. Virgin Mary”. Nine years later the Italian Consul donates to the church a magnificent alter made out of white marble, brought from Genua.
The temple is built by the project from an Italian architect Valentino Del Antonio from Modena, and in 1912 and was extended and repaired. The church consist of one nave with narthex, abside and high bell tower. It’s central entrance is towards the street. The architectural style refers to the Neo-Gothic Catholic Cathedrals. It has a really akin analogue in to Ruse town, which is the centre of the Nicopolis Catholic Eparchy.
In the very first years in the communist period in Bulgaria from 1945 to 1952 has started a persecution against the Catholics. They have been accused of betrayal towards the country, and espionage in favour of the Western Countries and Vatican which is the reason for Catholic churches to be closed. These events don’t pass by the Catholic Church “Immaculate Conception of St. Virgin Mary”.
In the following years, the impossibility of maintaining the building led to the temple being gradually ruined and plundered. In 1973 it was completely closed. This accelerated the destructive processes. For many years the building has been in an extremely bad condition, surrounded by construction fence, although it is located on the opposite side of the renovated building of the Regional Administration. In that way, the first Catholic church in Varna reaches today to a ruinous state and the documentary heritage related to it, has disappeared.
In 1995 the walls and vaults are semi destroyed. The large longitudinal cracks in the naos, which is heavily distorted, and the heavy load on the walls make the structure torn and the joints in between – broken. The construction that preserves the integrity of the building is destroyed – only the east façade gives some information about the original architecture of the church.
In 1996, the Catholic community in Varna ordered a restoration project and sent it for approval by the diocese of Ruse to determine the restoration program. The project has been prepared by architect Vladimir Rachev, eng. Settimo Pasti / constructions /,eng. Alfio Cantinotti /Heating and ventilation/. Due to a number of disturbances / financial and notarial/ the restoration did not go further.
The realisation of the project began in 2016, after all the disturbances had already been overcome. The main aim is to improve the critical state of the Church and to remove the long-term threat of destruction, aiming at its authentic architectural restoration. In that way, after the first receipt of funds from “Renovabis” and “Kirche in Not”, the first steps were made for the temple restoration. On September 18, 2006 began the reconstruction and the renovation of the church. With the songs and the blessing of Diocesan of Nikopol, Bishop Petko Hristov begins the reconstruction of the Catholic temple. After a long-lasting restoration on December 9, 2013. a Solemn liturgy was performed and the temple was opened again.
RESTORATION:
The intangible heritage object is a religious building, which is the reason for its strictly defined function and usage. From the end of the 18th century to present times, changes have been made in the Catholic Church as an institution, but the canons and religious customs are authentic to this day, and they are still performed and honoured by the believers.
The Varna Catholic Church is a typical representation of provincial religious architecture in Eastern Europe. Numerous analogues can be seen in Poland, Hungary, Slovenia. The plan is characterised by a semicircular apse, a hall with 96 seats, a Gothic arched entrance from the street. Next to the entrance are the stairs for the balcony and the confessional. The original roof construction of the temple was extremely interesting. The forming ribs of the typical Gothic vaults are made of layered wood, and between them wooden coating. Unfortunately, this method is extremely difficult and expensive, so the developer chose an alternative modern construction method. In the restoration process the roof structure is made of reinforced concrete slopes and metal frames in the interior in the same shape as the original wooden ribs, and plasterboard in between. The original ventilation system is unique, and it is preserved in the new project. The façade wall, which is situated on the street, was first lined with stone, but later was plastered, as the corner pilasters, cornices and window frames were preserved in the authentic material. Like every Catholic temple, the functional structure of this one is made up of the specific elements – an altar wall, an altar table with 3 chairs, a pulpit and a baptismal font on the left of the altar, a hall for visitors and a confessional. The balcony, restored in its authentic form, is the place for the choir in Solemn services. To the right of the altar there is a small organ that makes resound in the new hall of the church. All wooden elements in the interior, such as paneling, furniture, railings, altar wall, altar table, chairs and pulpit, are produced in Poland in a small family factory using traditional methods. Each of them is built on a specially designed project by Rachevi Studio design team.
Because of the scanty graphic and documental sources for the interior of the church, elements of modern design are integrated in the restoration. Such are the electric light units, the layout of the pilasters that dictate the rhythm in the interior, as well as some of the parts from the furnishing – the altar wall and the balcony railing.
It is curious that the parish priest Jacek Voicek wanted the apse to be painted to finish the church. He gave this honourable task the design team and after a week of work on the apse, the church was completed.
The Catholic Church “Immaculate Conception of St. Virgin Mary” in Varna is not a single object of immovable cultural heritage, but also part of a typical for Varna ensemble on” Preslav “Street and a compositional element in the urban historical landscape. Today, as in the past, the tall bell tower rises above residential and commercial buildings, located on the western front of the street. It plays an important compositional role as a vertical accent in the street’s silhouette.
The temple convey tangible cultural value, such as intangible one. Along with being a religious building, it has always been also a spiritual centre of the Catholic community in Varna. This is a place where regular services are performed to date, many noble and charitable activities are also being carried out. The Catholic Church has a significant role in the spiritual development of the city, because of the strong assertion of Christianity and Christian values, even in the worst years of the city’s history. She has always been a guardian of faith and goodness, and perhaps this has given her the strength to withstand the cruel raids of time. It is an important spiritual centre of the Catholic community, as well as its friends from other faiths. Its value exceeds the substance and reaches a spiritual, social and cultural level.