The inhabitants of the Bulgarian village of Momchilovtsi in the Rhodope mountains celebrated the feast day of Saint Stephen on Sunday by unveiling a chapel dedicated to the first Christian martyr.

The chapel was built by 270 people bearing the name of Stephen or its derivatives, private bTV station informs.

The construction of the Saint Stephen chapel started eight years ago when the first sod was turned.

The land on which the chapel was built had been donated by an Orthodox family.

A month ago, the Christians bearing the name of Stephen came together to collect funds and build the chapel.

The chapel will be sanctified on Saint Stephen’s day next year.

The mayor of the village says that the presence of 27 chapels in the village helps in the development of religious tourism.

Tourists attracted by the chapels tend to stay longer in the village as it is challenging to visit all of them in a single day.

In Bulgaria, the feast day of Saint Stephen is a major holiday, marking the third day of Christmas and is observed annually on December 27.

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