Malko Tarnovo is a small town with a few thousand inhabitants located in the heart of Bulgaria’s “Strandzha” National Park, just 9 kilometers from the border with Turkey. On land inhabited for centuries by Thracians, Greeks, and other tribes, Resurrectionists have been working for over 120 years. The church they built, dedicated to the “Most Holy Trinity,” towers over the town and greets pilgrims from afar. This site is also home to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Częstochowa, who holds the special title of Patroness of Christian Unity.
At the heart of the church is the image of the Black Madonna, given to the Resurrectionists in 1907 by Walenty Jakubiak. This merchant from Lviv brought the image to Adrianople, then the main center of the Bulgarian Mission of the Congregation. Due to the difficult fate of the missionaries, the icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa had to be relocated multiple times. After the end of the Russo-Turkish War, in 1928, the mission in Adrianople was closed and the icon was moved to Stara Zagora. About 30 years later, due to the political decisions of the communist government, the image was once again relocated — this time to Malko Tarnovo, where it has remained permanently.
Throughout all the difficult years, the Mother of God of Malko Tarnovo lovingly listened to prayers lifted up through her intercession and blessed her children — both Orthodox and Catholic.
On May 25, 2002, during his apostolic pilgrimage to Bulgaria, Pope John Paul II crowned the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary and entrusted the Church in Bulgaria to her care: “May the Lord support you and help you in the noble fulfillment of the tasks of Christian life, and through the intercession of His Most Holy Mother, venerated as the Patroness of Christian Unity at the Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity in Malko Tarnovo, may He grant you the abundance of His blessings.”
More information is available at www.sanktuarium-mtyrnovo.pl.tl
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Częstochowa
Konstantin Petkanov 4
8350 MALKO TYRNOVO
