On December 4, 2022, at 12:30 p.m., a festive cultural program will be presented in the courtyard of the Surp Kevork Armenian Apostolic Church on the occasion of the 194th anniversary of the dedication of the Armenian temple in Plovdiv.

A great treasure of the temple are its old icons painted by zoographers. Among them are "St. Mary the Guide", created at the end of the 18th century by an unknown Armenian master, the icon "Virgin and Child" - a painting with a beautifully carved gilded frame, the work of Nikola Odrinchanin, painted in 1838. His paintings of saints and biblical episodes are also typical of 19th century Armenian churches.

The life of the Armenian community in Plovdiv revolves around the "Surp Kevork" (St. George) temple in the Old Town. The church, its community center, the school, and the house of culture are in the same courtyard.

On December 11, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. a festive Holy Mass will be celebrated.

The celebration is supported by Plovdiv Municipality.

About the temple:

Surp Kevork Church was originally an Eastern Orthodox church dedicated to St.. It was dedicated to St. George the Victorious. Already in 1767 this church was ceded to the Plovdiv Armenian Diocese. It is the only church with side wards besides the central nave: one for women and another for men. A chapel was built next to the church. After several reconstructions, the church acquired its present appearance. In front of and around the church there is an extensive courtyard that surrounds the church complex in a rectangle, part of it also serving as a school yard from the time it was built in the first three decades of the 19th century. The courtyard on the west side is supported by a massive, high stone wall. In the past, the courtyard was used as a cemetery for noble and wealthy Armenians of the community, as well as for priests and senior clergy who died here. A preserved rectangular marble sarcophagus stands in the churchyard in the empty space between the church and the former Surp Khach church. Its lid is also made of marble and is removable.

In 1828, with the funds raised by the prominent Plovdiv benefactors Hayrabed Chorbaji, Tateos Aga, Manuk Hintlian, Hadji Garabed and Avedis and others, construction work on the new church began. The old building was demolished, the site was enlarged and the construction was carried out with hewn rectangular stone blocks. It was completed on October 26, 1828, and on December 8 of the same year it was consecrated by Archbishop Mesrob of Adrianople. These patriotic Armenians entrusted the construction to craftsmen from Asia Minor. In the courtyard of the same is a bell tower, built in 1850 and remodeled in Armenian style in 1930. The unique feature of the temple is that the apse is lined with 18th-19th century faience from Kyutakhia /today's Turkey/, the center of Armenian arts and crafts. Such typical tiling is known today only in the two Armenian temples in Jerusalem and Plovdiv.

The bell tower of the church, probably built in the second half of the 19th century, was half collapsed during the 1928 earthquake. The new bell tower is being built on the same spot in the corner.