 = Patriarchal Cathedral of the Holy Ascension of God = 
 
 The Patriarchal Cathedral of the Holy Ascension of God ( Bulgarian : <unk> <unk> „ <unk> <unk> <unk> “ , <unk> <unk> „ <unk> <unk> <unk> “ ) is a former Eastern Orthodox cathedral in the city of <unk> Tarnovo , in north central Bulgaria . Located on top of the fortified Tsarevets hill in the former capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire , the cathedral was the seat of the Bulgarian patriarch from its construction in the 11th – 12th century to its destruction in <unk> . 
 Standing on top of a late Roman church , the cathedral , reconstructed in the 1970s and 1980s , follows a cross @-@ domed plan with a bell tower and a triple apse . <unk> decorated on both the exterior and interior , its internal walls now feature modern frescoes , the presence of which has meant that it has not been <unk> . Though not active as a Christian place of worship , it has been open for visitors since 1985 . 
 
 = = History = = 
 
 The Patriarchal Cathedral of the Holy Ascension of God is not the first church building to occupy the position on top of the Tsarevets hill . It was constructed directly on top of a late Roman ( early Byzantine ) basilica which dates to the 5th – 6th century AD . The Roman basilica may have remained in use by the local congregation during the First Bulgarian Empire , though it was no longer active by the time the construction of the current church began . 
 The current building of the Patriarchal Cathedral is considered by scholars to have been built in two stages . The first stage of construction was carried out in the late 11th century or the 12th century . The cathedral was initially built as a monastery church in the middle of a monastery compound , though in the early 12th century it was already the seat of the Bulgarian patriarch . The compound suffered large @-@ scale damage caused by a fire , which necessitated the church 's reconstruction in middle of the 14th century , perhaps during the rule of Tsar Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria ( r . 1331 – 71 ) . Besides repair and reinforcement efforts , work on the church in the 14th century also included the construction of the <unk> and the bell tower . 
 There are several references to the cathedral in medieval sources . The earliest reference to the church tells of the transfer of Saint Michael the Warrior 's relics from the <unk> fortress to the Patriarchal Cathedral on the order of Tsar <unk> ( r . <unk> – 1207 ) . The housing of a warrior saint 's relics in the Patriarchal Cathedral signifies the incessant warfare against <unk> and <unk> that dominated <unk> 's reign . In the late 14th century , the last Patriarch of Tarnovo , Saint <unk> , described the church as the " great patriarch 's Cathedral of the Holy Ascension " in his writings . 
 Another possible reference to the church may be in a marginal note from <unk> to a copy of the Acts of the Apostles . In the note , the <unk> , one <unk> , thanks God and the " Holy and Most Glorious Ascension " for having finished his work on the book . Scholar <unk> <unk> believes this to be an allusion to the Patriarchal Cathedral , which may have patronised the project . Alternatively , the copy could have been made at the cathedral 's <unk> , where <unk> may have worked . 
 The church is also depicted in the medieval sketch of Tarnovo in the <unk> <unk> , a <unk> service book written in the mid @-@ 14th century and then carried to <unk> ( now <unk> , Romania ) after the fall of Bulgaria under Ottoman rule . 
 The Patriarchal Cathedral was destroyed after the Ottomans captured the Bulgarian capital after their Siege of Tarnovo on 17 July <unk> . The church was fully reconstructed in the 20th century ; reconstruction works were carried out by a team under architect <unk> <unk> . These commenced in 1978 and were finished in 1981 , to mark Bulgaria 's <unk> anniversary . However , it was not until November 1985 , when the contemporary murals were finished , that the church was opened once again for visitors . The church 's ruins have been protected as a national antiquity since 1927 ; in 1967 , they were proclaimed an architectural monument of culture of national importance . As part of the Tsarevets architectural reserve , it is also listed among the 100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria . 
 
 = = Location and architecture = = 
 
 The Patriarchal Cathedral of the Holy Ascension of God is located on top of the Tsarevets hill , overlooking the modern city of <unk> Tarnovo . The church was part of a group of buildings which constituted the seat of the Bulgarian <unk> and acted as the city and the country 's main cathedral . The <unk> on Tsarevets was a fortress of its own , with two defensive towers and an entrance on its west wall . The Patriarchal Cathedral stood in the middle of its courtyard . 
 The Patriarchal Cathedral features a triple apse , the central part of which matches the apse of the original basilica on the site . The three @-@ <unk> church follows the traditional Byzantine cross @-@ in @-@ square design . Built out of crushed stones and mortar with limited brickwork , it measures 26 by 12 metres ( 85 ft × 39 ft ) . The cathedral includes two <unk> , a bell tower and two other premises attached to the south church wall . The presence of a bell tower is considered to be a rarity in Balkan church architecture . Six columns support the interior and distinguish the altar from the cella ( <unk> ) . It is unclear whether the church housed a <unk> ( stone <unk> for the clergy ) in the apse , as there are doubts that its remains may actually be part of the older basilica . 
 The church featured ample exterior and interior decoration . While the facades were decorated with arches and ceramic tiles , the interior floor mosaics were made of white , yellow and pink marble as well as semi @-@ precious <unk> like <unk> and <unk> . The interior walls were covered with frescoes and mosaics . However , none of the interior decoration has survived . During the church 's 20th @-@ century reconstruction , its interior was <unk> by artist <unk> <unk> , who depicted important moments of medieval Bulgarian history in a modernist style . Due to these murals , the church has never been <unk> and remains inactive . The facade of the cathedral also includes a stone with a donor 's inscription of a Bulgarian ruler , which ended up as part of the building material . 
 There are a total of four burial grounds in and around the church , two of which are burials for priests . One of the burial grounds is inside the <unk> , where <unk> tombs were built in the 14th century . Besides Michael the Warrior 's relics , the cathedral also housed the remains of Bulgarian <unk> Joachim I , <unk> and Joachim III . 
 
 