St. John of Rila Church in Staro Selo honors the patron saint of Bulgarians

"The history of the church in Staro Selo is quite remarkable and remained in obscurity for a long time", says Father Marin Bozhkov, who is in charge of the temple. Besides being the only church in the Municipality of Troyan dedicated to St. John of Rila, the heavenly protector of Bulgarians, it is also one of the few churches built after September 9, 1944. For decades, the communist regime used the church as a warehouse and barn, the priest adds. The church was consecrated in 1993, nearly 50 years after its construction. Since then, it has been gathering worshippers on every feast day.