The Bulgarian Orthodox community of St. John of Rila in London has launched a donation campaign for the construction of the first Bulgarian Orthodox church in the UK.
The community has been using a room at the Bulgarian Embassy in London since the early 1990s. The garage-turned-chapel has always been too small, however, and on major feast days the services had to be celebrated in the Embassy courtyard, reports the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
Now, two more premises have been provided for the expansion of the chapel into a true church.
Between the 355,000 pounds allocated by the Bulgarian state and the donations of the faithful, about half of the necessary 1 million pounds have been raised so far.
The church will be built in a classical style, in the tradition of the medieval churches in Pliska, Preslav, and Serdika, including an internal dome, a marble iconostasis, and mosaics and frescoes. There will also be a space for a library and a Sunday School. A new entrance from the main street will make the church accessible to all parishioners and guests.
Construction and finishing works are expected to last between 6 months and a year.
Donations can be made online via PayPal or with a debit or credit card.
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