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The Shipka Monastery “The Nativity” is located on the outskirts of the city Shipka. The idea to found the monastery began with the Russian diplomat Count Ignatiev and Olga Skobeleva, mother of General Skobelev. Funds for construction were donated by the Russian people; the residents of Shipka gave the land. Construction began in 1885 and was completed in 1902. Also in 1902, the church was decorated with frescoes. The monastery was Russian Orthodox until 1934 when the Soviet government transferred the ownership to Bulgaria. Today the Shipka Monastery is part of the Shipka-Buzludzha park and museum complex. The monastery church was declared an architectural and cultural landmark in Issue № 33 of the State Decrees for 1970. The church has a cruciform dome, a rectilinear nave, and three apses. On the sanctuary walls and in the outer galleries 34 marble plaques are listing the names of officers and volunteers who died during the Russo-Turkish war of 1887-88, some of whom died in the war’s most brutal battles on Sh
