• St. Dimitar church
The church of “St. Dimitar” in Veliko Turnovo is situated at the northeastern foot of Trapezitsa elevation on the right bank of Yantra River. It is the oldest Medieval church in Turnovo. It is related to the earliest manifestations of the Bulgarian rulers of the 12th century. In 1185, when the church was built, the brothers Assen and Peter proclaimed the Uprising against the Byzantine invaders. It was a royal church up to the year 1230. The Bulgarian rulers Assen, Peter and Kaloyan were crowned in it. Here on 07.11.1204 Archbishop Vasilli was promoted to the rank of Patriarch of the Bulgarian church. Later at the end of XVII th and the beginning of the XVIII th century a monastery was built. The 4 big buildings found during the archeological excavations in 1971 belonged to it. They are situated to the east, west and south.
• Church of the Blessed Saviour (Patriarch)
The Holy Trinity monastery, also known as the Patriarch’s monastery, lies about 10km away from the ancient town and ex-Bulgarian capital, Veliko Turnovo. The monastery has been built high above the town in an extraordinarily beautiful area, huddling at the foot of a vertical rocky massif. The road to the monastery starts in the suburbs of Veliko Turnovo close to the remains of Tzarevets fortress. It is a good road.
• Church of Forty Holy Martyrs
The Church of the Forty Holy Martyrs is probably the best-known medieval monument in the country. It was erected on the order of Tsar Ivan Assen II in commemoration of the major victory of the Bulgarians over the Byzantine troops at Klokotnitsa in 1230. During the 13th-14th century it had been one of the most beautiful and rich churches of the kingdom. It was considerably damaged during the Ottoman domination, when it was turned into a mosque; its mural paintings were pasted by lime, and the icons and the iconostasis were burned. What has been preserved are extremely valuable columns, a token of continuity of the heroic traditions in the development of the Bulgarian state: Assen’s column with an inscription dedicated to the Bulgarians’ historic victory in 1230, Omourtag’s column with an inscription reflecting the building activities and life philosophy of Kan Omourtag, and the column from the Rodosto fortress. In 1972 a Christian tomb and a solid gold signet ring with an inscription “Kaloyan’s Ring” was found in the northeastern part of the church. According to experts, this is the tomb of Tsar Kaloyan. The church has now been completely restored.