T-shaped plan in Bulgarian churches: Ottoman state Kırkkilise sanjak churches in the late 19th century

Abstract

This study is about the architecture of the churches designed in the Kırkkilise sanjak belonging to Edirne province of the Ottoman Empire between 1870-1913. This was a period when the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire could freely build their churches. The Kırkkilise location was chosen as the focus of the study since it was one of the provinces with the highest Bulgarian population during the aforementioned period. The study's methodology included an analysis and taken from the plan schemes and facades of the churches designed in this period. As a result, it was determined that the T-shaped plan scheme, which extended from the narthex to the north and south, was used in Bulgarian churches in the late 19th century, unlike the plan scheme of other churches. In the same period, this plan scheme was also used in Edirne, located to the west of Kırkkilise (Kırklareli), Bulgaria and Greece which are all situated in the Balkans. The study also uncovered that, a non-Muslim journeyman, Ziyo, played a major role in the formation of non-Muslim architecture in Kırklareli, especially in the design of many Bulgarian churches.