The Cathedral of the Assumption is the Orthodox Cathedral of the city of Varna. It is located in the very centre of the city, on St. Cyril and Methodius Square. The construction of the cathedral was started in 1880 on the initiative of Tsar Alexander I Battenberg of Bulgaria. In memory of the Empress of the Russian Empire Maria Alexandrovna, the wife of Alexander II, who was the ruler's aunt, the church was consecrated in the name of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin.
The foundation of the church was designed by the architect from Odessa Maas, and the building itself was designed by the Varna architect P. Kupka. The construction was financed mainly by private donations, although a lottery was also organised to raise money, during which the organisers sold about one hundred and fifty thousand tickets worth two leva each. The construction was completed in October 1885. By 1949 the walls of the temple were painted, and in the 60s stained glass windows were inserted into the large windows facing the square. At the very end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century, the cathedral underwent restoration of the frescoes, installed a ventilation system, renewed the covering of the temple domes and roof, and installed a unique system of external lighting of the building, designed to effectively emphasise the beauty of its architecture in the evening..
The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is considered by many to be one of the symbols of Varna, and its high bell tower offers a superb view of the entire city.
