The Assumption of the Virgin Mary church in Shiroka Laka

The church Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Shiroka Laka (South Bulgaria, Smolyan district) is known not only for its wonderful internal and external architecture. The church was constructed in 1834 for 39 days only. During the Ottoman yoke the local people decided to make their own church. Two local men went to Constantinople to receive the firman allowing them to build the church. Then the prominent mason Todor Palamarov lived in Shiroka Laka. He took up to guide the construction. The people chose to raise the church in a nearby consecrated ground, lying just 50 meters away from the local police office. Ismail Aga opposed building a church so close to the police, as he disliked listen the Christian bells. One of the local men however gathered all the young and healthy people to the set place. They made tents to live in them, as the firman wrote that the church should be built within 40 days, otherwise everything that has been constructed would be destroyed. Ismail Aga ordered his men to shoot everyone who starts building. The construction of the church however gathered above 1500 men, and not only didn’t they fear the order of the Aga, but even made him withdraw his men. In a way to fit the fixed deadline the Bulgarians made the nights days. Some of the men gathered lightwood to light the night, others carried building materials, and third constructed the church. On the 39th day the church the Assumption of Virgin Mary was ready. It is supposed that the icons in the church were painted in 1835-1836 by the icon-painter Zahari and his brother Dimitar from the Samokov arts school.

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