Tracing Albanian ancestry in the Arbanasi architectural reserve

The Arbanasi architectural reserve near Veliko Tarnovo is one of the most popular tourist destinations. The medieval monasteries and churches, including the Church of the Nativity, are particularly attractive. The churches of Arbanasi are museum sites and services are held only on the days of their patron saints. \

But few people know that the settlement of Arbanasi has Albanian roots, says Assoc. Diana Toteva of the Christian Art Department of the Regional History Museum. In the 16th century, the majority of the population of the settlement were Albanian Orthodox Christians. At the time of Skanderbeg's rebellion, around the 1560s, some of the Albanians left and some of them settled near Tarnovo. The place was named Arbanasi after these settlers. Thanks to them, 7 Orthodox churches were built in the small settlement in the 16th and 17th centuries. The information is provided by the BNR correspondent in Veliko Tarnovo, Zdravka Maslyankova.