The Memorial Temple of the Birth of Christ, Shipka, is a living breathing Bulgarian Orthodox church
Also known as the Russian Church, designed in the style of older Russian churches, and built between 1885 and 1902, as a memorial to the Russian troops who died fighting for Bulgaria in the Ottoman war of 1877/78
I guess the Onion domes and orthodox crosses are a clear indication as to its authenticity
The bell tower houses yes bells! the heaviest of which weighs in at a mighty 12 Tons; the bells were cast from the discarded artillery shells and ordinance collected from the battle fields, most notably after the four Battles of Shipka Pass.
The church was officially opened in September 1902, and in 1970 was proclaimed a national monument of culture.
It is as grand inside as it is outside, the walls covered with murals and iconography
Out of bounds and deep within its crypt lie seventeen stone sarcophagi, holding the remains of a number of those that died on the battlefield.