The monastery "Saint Forty Martyrs" in Veliko Tarnovo was built to commemorate the victory of the Bulgarians over the troops of the Byzantine ruler Teodor Komnin in 1230. The church is a low three-nave basilica. Along the hind western column at the will of king Ivan Asen II there is a solemn victorious inscription with the words: "In the summer of 6738 (1230), indict 3, I -Ivan Asen- God obedient king and ruler of the Bulgarians, son of the old king Asen, built from the foundations this church and decorated it with mural paintings in the name of the holy forty martyrs, with whose help this temple was decorated in the year 1212, when I went to wage a war in Romania and defeated the Greek troops and their king Teodor Komnin, capturing all his boyars....". The carried out archaeological excavations reveal monastery buildings. The monastery originates over remains of a destroyed fortified wall and its annexed barracks from the First Bulgarian Kingdom. To the east the monastery's yard there are two buildings, stuck to one another, the south of which was used as a refectory. The entrance of the monastery is from the northeast where the steep road from the Small Gate of the aristocratic hill Tzarevetz passes. The monastery's graveyard is located immediately to the south of the monastery. As the archaeological research shows many noble Bulgarians from royal origin were buried in this temple. Here in 1235 was buried the famous Serbian saint Sava by an order of king Ivan Asen II and later in 1236 the body of the saint was moved to Mileshevo at an appeal from king Vladislav. Near the northern wall was discovered the tomb of king Kaloyan, killed at the siege of Thessalonica. At excavations of the grave there were discovered gold-woven clothes and the famous Kaloyan's ring.
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After the conquering of Tarnovo the monks were chased away and the monastery became derelict. At the beginning of XIX c. after a reconstruction the Turks transformed the church into a mosque and built a minaret.
After the Liberation of Bulgaria the church was an object of thorough research. Unfortunately, the powerful earthquake of 1913 caused serious damage to the monument. Until 1913 only three scenes were preserved on its western wall. In the middle is depicted "The Assumption of Virgin Mary" and at its both sides - "Jacob's son" and "The Holy Trinity".
Icon The Birth of Christ - 17th century
