Payless

Elena was called "the Bulgarian Bethlehem", because only this city during the Revival period had not one but three churches - "St. Nicolas "," Assumption" and "Nativity of St. Mary ".

The most popular legend about the origin of the settlement is related to the dramatic fate of Elena and Samuil from the village Kupinovo close to Tvarditsa. Robbers attacked their wedding where nowadays is located the city, and killed the two lovers. The girl was buried in the Krusta (“The Cross”) area, and her lover - in the area which today is called Samuiletz. The grieving parents of the bride decided to stay forever in this place and founded a city which is now called Elena.

During the Ottoman rule, Elena became a wealthy town because its inhabitants, due to the obligation to guard against passage of Tvarditsa and Veliko Tarnovo, were exempt from taxes. In the second half of the eighteenth century, rapidly developed the crafts in the town. City residents raised good solid houses, built churches, bridges, aqueducts and fountains.

From all this wealth today has survived a big part - 147 buildings, monuments of culture, of which seven are of national importance. Five of them form the architectural and historical complex "Daskalolivnitsata".

The main character of Elena is precisely the building "Daskalolivnitsata". It was built in 1844 for the needs of the the first Bulgarian class school, founded by Ivan Nikolov Momchilov, noted teacher, translator and author of many books and educational materials.

Here received a good education lots of teachers and several political figures who later played an important role in the education of the Bulgarian people and the liberation of the Bulgarian state. The school in Elena sended its graduates as teachers in 61 cities and 31 villages. This is the reason Petko Rachov Slaveykov, who also taught at the school, to give it the notorious nickname, which it remains unknown to this day - "Daskalolivnitsata", i.e. "Casting out of teachers".

In the two-storey building can be seen many curious things: classroom and staff room, teaching materials, documents and photos that represent the city's history from its inception to the Russo-Turkish War in 1878, icons and church plates and murals.

In Elena you should not miss the clock tower because it is visible from every part of the town. It is built in 1812 by an unknown artist. Interestingly, the clockwork and the bell, cast in Gabrovo, are paid by Feyzi Aga of Tarnovo.

"Pop-Nikolov’s House" is one of the most interesting in Elena. Furthermore, visit the church "St. Nicholas"- a true sanctuary for the city. The church was a center of literature, which pursued the relationship between the Turnovo Literary School and Elena. It is known that it had retained many old manuscripts written on parchment. Many of them burned in the Kardzhalii invasion in 1800, together with the building of the church. Residents of Helena rebuilt it without permit in 40 days, plastered the outside walls with lime and coal dust so that it resembled an old facility and thus deceived the government officials who came to check. With great artistic value are the frescoes, the wooden iconostasis and the bishop's throne in the church.

Such is the history of the church "Nativity of St. Mary". Built at this place in 1812, local people built a chapel and placed inside a manger and tied horses to save it from destruction. The building was destroyed in a fire and was re-built by Nikola Petkov - young masters of Tryavna, a student of Nikola Ficheto. He finished the new building of the church in 1865 and so it has remained until today.