The church-monument "Nativity of Christ", also called Shipka Monastery, is located in the village of the same name Shipka, located on a large square, and the area around it looked like a park. The church is a kind of ossuary of Russian soldiers who gave their lives in the Russo-Turkish War of Liberation.
When we stand in front of the church we see a wonderful masterpiece of church art. Its 17 bells announce the area during various celebrations, with a total weight of over 20 tons. The largest of them weighs about 12 tons, and only her tongue is 2 tons, for comparison - the smallest weighs only 20 kg. Sleeves collected from the battlefields were used in their casting. In the arcade galleries outside are placed 34 marble slabs, on which are written the names of 8,491 officers and volunteers, victims of the battles. 10 metal crosses covered with copper and gold rise above the domes, the highest of which is 4.5 m. The huge iconostasis in the temple is carved from linden wood and is completely gilded. There are 83 icons on it, donated by the monks of the Mount Athos Russian Monastery "St. Panteleimon". A crypt was built under the main level of the temple, in which 17 stone sarcophagi with the bones of the nearly 20,000 Russian soldiers and Bulgarian volunteers killed in the battles near Shipka were placed.
High above the "golden domes" of the Shipka Monastery, on the ridge of Stara Planina rises the Monument of Freedom. Dedicated to the Bulgarian volunteers, who with their self-sacrifice decided the outcome of the war, the monument was solemnly unveiled in 1934 personally by Tsar Boris III. 31.5 m high, it is a large tower in the shape of a truncated pyramid. Going through its interior you can get acquainted with the museum exposition related to the battles of Shipka and the history of the Bulgarian militia, and reaching its top - you will enjoy a breathtaking view. At the entrance of the monument is depicted a huge bronze lion, 8 m long and 4 m high. 1000 stone steps lead to the Freedom Monument.
Location:
Shishche Monastery - Orlovo Gnezdo Street 3, 6150 Shipka Shipka Temple Monument - located on the ridge of the mountain, traveling through the Shipka Pass