At the end of the 15th century, when the glory of the capital city of Turnovgrad was declining, as it seemed forever, a new cultural center was coming to life in its close proximity – the village of Arbanassi. The village is situated almost at the center of a densely populated region, formed between the towns of Veliko Turnovo, Gorna Orryahovitsa and Lyaskovets, at about a three-four-kilometer distance from each of them. It is built on a high plateau, providing a panoramic view towards the mediaeval fortresses of Tsarevets and Trapezitsa, and the ancient capital of Turnovgrad. Another legendary tale narrates about a second, much later migration (15th.c) of cattle traders – Bulgarians and Christian Albanians from Kostur, South Albania and Northern Epirus. In the course of their frequent travels to sell their merchandise as far the banks of the Danube and to its opposite side – the land of the Wallachs, they have finally decided to settle in Arbanassi. The royal decree of Sultan Syuleiman I the Lawmaker from 1538 presents the village as to gift to his son-in-law Rustem Pasha – grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. Arbanassi becomes a large settlement with prosperous inhabitants from various nationalities: Bulgarians, Greeks, Albanians. Its merchants trade with cattle, meat, leather, diary products, copper, soap, tallow candles, and many other articles. They travel to every part of the Turkish Empire, as well as to Romania, Hungary, Poland, the Moscow Kingdom, and even to such faraway places as Baghdad, India and Persia. The crafts are among the usual occupation on the population, too. At the end of 18th century the village was devastated, robbed and put on fire by various Turkish gangs of bandits, proliferating at the times. There followed catastrophic earthquakes and plague, which forced the Arbanassi population to leave their homes and to seek more comfortable and safer places of living. Since 1810 Arbanassi has been gradually coming to life, being inhabited by immigrants from the Elena and Tryavna regions of the Balkans, but still remains in the shadow of the reviving Turnovo. The Nativity Church
It is the earliest church in Arbanassi. The present wall-painting in the naos (an men’s department) were completed in 1597. The paintings in the women’s section dated from 1638 and those in the chapel of “St. John the Baptist” dated from 1632. The iconostasis is one the earliest examples of woodwork in Bulgaria. The “Uspenie Bogorodichno” Monastery
originates in the vicinity of a church with the same name that has been built at the end of the XVI century. In 1680 the church has been renovated and totally repainted. The monastery itself is established in 1716. It hosts the miraculous icon “Bogoroditsa Troeruchitsa”, which has been bought here from Mount Atos, as well as various other icons from the XVII-XVIII centuries. The monastery is still active.
The Konstantsaliev’s House
was built in 17th century. The basement was built of sons. The main entrance was protected with a solid studded door. The rooms upstairs are grouped as follows: reception premises, bedroom premises and cooking premises. Although they are spacious and roomy, the house emanates coziness warmth. The Sts Archangels Michael and Gabriel’s Church
It consists of an altar, a naos, a narthex (a women’s department), a chapel of St. Paraskeva and a gallery. The naos of the church was built and painted in 17th century. The mural paintings in the narthex were made by two painters- Michael from Thessaloniki and Georgi from Bukuresht. The painting was completed in 1760.