By the mid-19th century, there were around a hundred icon painters in Tryavna, organized into guilds. Their workshops were expanding and competition among them was fierce. Each had their own style of work and techniques. However, they often used the same method - using egg-tempera varnish. They would apply it to a prepared board made of soft wood (linden, poplar, alder) covered with a thin layer of plaster, with or without canvas on top. The finished image was carefully coated with a transparent layer of resin, dissolved in turpentine, to achieve a shine. This also served as a protective barrier against atmospheric conditions. Some icon painters would make their own colors from plant roots, while others would purchase powders from markets in Thessaloniki, Adrianople, and Constantinople. Георги“, „Св. Димитър“, „Св. Климент“   Our Recipes of Colors are Kept Secret and Passed Down from Father to Son or from an Older Relative to a Younger One. Most of the Iconographers Fulfill Orders in Tryavna. Around the Middle of the 19th Century, there were about Forty Icon Painting Studios Operating in the Small Balkan Town. And afterwards, the Works of the Tryavna School of Icon Painting Spread to All Corners of Bulgaria. Among the Names of these Men Painting Holy Images is Tsanyu Zahariev Mladi, who is the Third Generation Iconographer from the Zahariev Family. He was born in 1840 in Tryavna. He is the Son of Iconographer Zahariyu Tsanyuv and the Grandson of Iconographer Tsanyu Zahariev Star. His two Brothers, Kancho and Nikola, are also Iconographers. He Studied at the Tryavna School under Petko Slaveykov and N. Gruncharov and Learned the Craft of Icon Painting from his Father. His Creative Path Begins with the Icons "St. George", "St. Dimitar", and "St. Kliment". "A visit" to the "St. Athanasius" church in Lyaskovets and "Christ" in the Arbanasi church "St. Archangels". In 1866, he painted icons in the village of Enikyoy, in Tutchen region, where he met and became close with Vasil Levski. Here's how their first encounter happened: "We were working on iconography in the village of Enikyoy in Tutchen region, and I went to the nearby village of Kungas for a gathering. The church was not yet open. I entered the church and waited for it to open. Vasil Levski was leading the psalms, but I didn't know who this man was yet. However, when I heard him say "Save us, Lord" and "Conquer, pious Bulgarians", I understood. When we went out, the priest invited us to his house as guests and we sang different songs. Vasil sang more folk songs." Тогава баща му го смърдал и си тръгнал, а ние тримата с друга ме принудили да ги кача“ After leaving church, we went to the school, looked around and began to do gymnastics exercises: we jumped over obstacles, threw rocks, and other activities where Vasil stood out the most. From there, we went to Vasil Karlovec's tavern, and then he became a merchant. This publican called me aside and said, "This boy (referring to Vasil Levski) wants to speak with you alone." I agreed and he escorted him to me. We went behind the tavern, just the two of us, and he said to me, "I trust you as a loyal person, so I will tell you a secret." I replied, "Okay." Then he said to me, "I came from Wallachia with two other comrades, we were carrying paintings that were banned in Turkey. We gave one of the paintings to Dimitraki, his son-in-law. He hung them on the wall. When his father saw them, he asked where he got them from. He told him the story. Then his father scolded him and left, but the three of us forced one of our comrades to hang the paintings." Dimitraki takes them - a bay and carries them to the pasture, saying to him: "Is this acceptable to you?" He says, "No." "I also do not accept it." They find out from where these pictures are and arrested my two friends and hide them, and I hide. If I stay in the city, they will catch me, can you find me a village to hide as a teacher and leave the city?" I promised him that I will be able to, because in the village where I worked, there was no teacher and I hoped that the superiors would listen to me. I asked him where to find him if I needed him; he told me: in Tulcha, at Angel Boyadzhiyata's cafe. I told him which day I would come to the city to recover the icons that they gave me in the city and I would inform him what the superiors had told me. Then we separated and I went to the village. "After praising it to the elders, they agreed for me to bring it to them". Then Tsvonyu Zahariev found it in the café of Angel Boyadzhiat. Vasil Levski was sitting by the door, looking through the window at the road. Levski signaled to him and the icon painter went to him. He brought him into a room. The zograph told him that he had completed his work. He had to prepare, he would take him in two hours with a cart. That's how it happened. Levski sat in the cart between the icons, which hid him, they were big. They passed through the town without anyone noticing them. Once they arrived in the village, the Troyan settled him in his own apartment, as he had agreed with the elders. They stayed together for three months, living in one room, sleeping on one bed. During this time, the two men made the plan for the uprising. They have vowed not to drink either rakia or wine until they achieve their goal. They have no companions except for the brother of zograph Nikola and someone Vassilev, a master dulgarian from Karlovo. He introduces them to workers who believe in their ideas. Autumn comes and Tsanyu Zakharyev has to return to Tryavna. They have to continue their work together in the spring, and Levski agrees to go to the Balkan town to see the zograph. At the end of March, Levski writes him a letter from Galatz, informing him that he will soon arrive in Tryavna. The town is close to the Balkans and the population is mostly Bulgarian, making it suitable as a central location for Thrace and Bulgaria. Levski goes there. "Towards the end of April, early in the morning, a hanchi came to my house to inform me that a young abaghya called me to the han. I went and took him home, where he stayed for a few days." Revolutionstá Levski Giyov se vodiá dla v Carlowo.Inieakt Silv Cord Rajavåra "Trewna för Centra".  Desetne Sulds Levski Golf Spolietoy na Balkanski Gradnosnu. Uot vpri pneus Ard Betanafo kulié za Tyjrowo , koiato Trewnencu gho babozawa s Revulusiunairi Paulovsi Kavakiens. Tart szravedwa obolwia z Liaszkowes i G. Orohaovisica. Trema Měže then usziepera Traivensi borórericerbeteni Revaluciunari Comitétow. He divorced him among his friends, to whom he had informed about him, revealed his work to them and left for Karlovo. And so, then Trauna was chosen as the center. Ten days later Levski returns to the Balkan town. He and his friend, a painter, leave for Veliko Tarnovo, where the man from Tryavna introduces him to the revolutionary Nikola Kabakchiev. He leads them through Lyaskovets and G. Oryahovitsa. The three men later create the Tryavna Revolutionary Committee. Then Levski leaves for Bucharest to negotiate with the committee and returns to Tryavna, where the icon painter introduces him to other Balkan craftsmen. He walks around the town without anyone suspecting him, chants in the Tryavna church "St. George". That's when he meets the revolutionary Angel Kanchev, whom he had met in Bucharest. From Tryavna, Levski heads to Thrace. In 1871, Revolutionary Levski Giyov is leading in Karlovo. On the return, he goes to Silv's Rope Rajavara, "Travna for Center". After ten days, Levski returns to the Balkan town. He also gets to Trevan, where he presents silvers to revelations Paulovsky walks. He also meets silver artists who act as pioneers and G. Orohavisk's. Out of pity he leads us to Traiwe, and shoots out of the performance in the Revolution. "The Apostle of Bulgarian liberty is once again in Tryavna and advises to establish a community center. The following year, the secret revolutionary committee is founded in the Balkan town. Tsanyu Zaharieff is the chairman. 'By choosing Tryavna as the center, the work was initially taken on by the academics and wealthier individuals, who showed enthusiasm until they realized the gravity of the task and started withdrawing one by one, leaving only me and my brother Nikola. One of the teachers, Iliya Shivarov, told a friend not to join me because I was dragging a rope behind me,' writes the chronologist in his memories. With his help, Levski visited Tryavna several times, but he saw that he couldn't work with these people. Tsanyu Zaharieff accompanied Levski on one of his journeys to Gabrovo, while others did not agree with this." Levski then got angry at the "patriots" from Tranen and said to the zograph, "Is this your doing? Where are those friends of yours? Ah, ah..." He cursed at them and they continued on their way, but a little later he added, "I was deceived by getting involved with your intellectuals in Tryavna. If I had gotten involved with simpler folk, I would have done a better job." In 1876, Tsanyu Zakhariyev went to the meeting of the non-involved revolutionaries of the Tarnovo Revolutionary Committee in the old capital. He took part in the April Uprising, in the battles of the Trenenskaya detachment, and joined Hristo Patriev's group. After the defeat of the uprising, he and his brother Kancho hid for a long time in the surrounding villages. Once, Levski told him, "Your name will be written in golden letters in Bulgarian history, as one of the personal participants in the liberation of Bulgaria." The iconographer responded that he does not want fame, but freedom. "Indeed, a person cannot be immortal, but their deeds can... Before I embarked on this sacred mission, I deeply contemplated. I have spent whole nights without sleep, and my pillow has often been wet with tears; but I could not bear to see our people so tormented by the enemy, while I sat with folded arms, while they can wield weapons. I knew that when we rise up, our only salvation is the Balkans, but even there, we cannot stay for more than three or four days, because we will die of hunger. If we are defeated, we need wings to escape to another country, and those who are wounded must spit there. A greater evil awaited us from the unclean Turks (the traitorous Bulgarians), who would betray a person for a cup of coffee." After much consideration, I finally came to this conclusion: to forgive my wife, children, father and mother; to take on the heavy cross and swear to faithfully work for our beloved homeland and not back down from any danger until we inflict the incurable wound on Turkey; and as for what will happen to me, only God knows. But mostly, we lit the fire that will melt Turkey, and even if I die now, I have no regrets. This is my resolution. In his memoirs "Notes on the Trevnian Uprising", written and published by his daughter Maria Tsaneva-Ilieva in 1932, Tsvanyu Zahariev shares about his relationship with Vasil Levski, his participation in the uprising, and his wanderings afterwards. The iconographer passed away on November 9th, 1902 in Tryavna. Before the Liberation, he painted together with his father the "Bogoroditsa" (1867) in the Gabrovo church "St. Bogoroditsa" and "Christ" (1870) in the Sevlievo church "St. Trinity". After the Liberation, he continues to paint icons. He paints the icons "Three Saints", "Annunciation", "Ivan Rilski" and "St. St. Cyril and Methodius" for the church "St. Bogoroditsa" in Troyan. His work also includes the chapel "St. Teodosiy Tarnovski" in the Kilifarevo Monastery. He creates the images of saints for the churches in the villages of Katzilovo and Dve Mogili, in the Rusenski region, in Kazal Murad (Blagovo), Razgrad region. His icons can be seen in Byala Cherkva, Silistra, Popovo, Ruse and other parts of Bulgaria.