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Home , Baba Vida, Basarbovo, Calamis (5th century BC), Cherven (fortress), Gate of Trajan, Heraclea Sintica

FROM THE SACRED CITY OF TO THE GREAT ROYAL CITY OF TURNOVO 15 MUST-SEE HISTORIC LANDMARKS IN 15 MUST-SEE HISTORIC LANDMARKS IN BULGARIA

1 THE PREHISTORIC SALTERN IN AND THE WORLD’S EARLIEST ARTEFACTS NEAR VARNA | 2 2 THE SACRED CITY OF PERPERIKON NEAR KARDJALI AND THE ROCKY PEOPLE FROM THE RHODOPES | 4 3 THE ROYAL HUNT FROM THE TUMULUS OF ALEXANDROVO NEAR AND THE MYSTERIOUS DOLMENS IN THE SAKAR MOUNTAIN | 6 4 THE VALLEY OF THE THRACIAN KINGS NEAR KAZANLUK AND THE ROYAL MAUSOLEUMS IN STAROSEL | 8 5 PHILIP’S CITY IN AND THE SILENCE OF THE OF BACHKOVO | 10 6 ANCIENT MESSAMBRIA AND ITS ETERNAL RIVAL SOZOPOLIS | 12 7 HERACLEA SINTICA NEAR THE CHURCH OF VANGA IN RUPITE AND THE BEAUTIFUL MOSAICS IN | 14 8 THE ROMAN COLONY OF RATIARIA AND KING IVAN SRATSIMIR’S CAPITAL IN | 16 9 MISSIONIS, THE CITY OF ST ANDREW PROTOKLETOS NEAR , AND THE STRONGHOLD OF | 18 10 AND PRESLAV, THE MAJESTIC CAPITAL CITIES OF THE FIRST | 20 11 MILLENNIA-OLD AND THE UNIQUE FRESCOES AT THE | 22 12 VISHEGRAD NEAR KARDJALI AND THE STONE GUARDS OF THE EASTERN RHODOPES | 24 13 THE BLESSED GREAT ROYAL CITY OF TURNOVO AND THE AMAZING VILLAGE OF ARBANASSI | 26 14 THE AUSTERE AND THE ROCK-HEWN IN IVANOVO NEAR RUSE | 28 15 THE HOLY MONASTERY OF RILA AND THE GOD-BUILT MELNIK | 30 MAP 15 MUST-SEE HISTORIC LANDMARKS IN BULGARIA | 32 AN ANCIENT EUROPEAN COUNTRY

Bulgaria is one of Europe’s oldest sovereign In 1396, the lost their independence states, situated in the heart of the Balkan Penin- in the flames of the horrific Ottoman invasion. The sula, in southeast Europe. It was the cradle of the medieval Bulgarian state perished, but its collapse earliest proto-historic cultures on the Continent, spared Central and Western Europe the same fate. inherited later by the , the Hellenes and This, however, stunted the cultural and political de- the Romans, who left a lasting mark on the global velopment of the Bulgarians. Liberated in the nine- civilisation. teenth century, Bulgaria lost many of its lands to the The Bulgarian state was established in 681, neighbouring countries. That was the reason why espousing the traditions of all these ancient cul- the country was compelled by the circumstances tures. In its early days, the state bordered the lost to be, more often than not, on the losing side in the empires of the Byzantines, the Arabs and Franks twentieth-century European conflicts. After 1944, that have, nevertheless, given rise to a num- the country was under Soviet influence that de- ber of cotemporary countries. Unlike the other tached Bulgaria from European traditions. countries, Bulgaria’s name remained unchanged That was the main reason why the world throughout thirteen or so centuries. The Bulgar- knows almost next to nothing about Bulgaria, a ians converted to back in the begin- country steeped in history. Still, this country has ning of the ninth century and the disciples of the a wealth to show to the world with its 43,000 ar- Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius invented the chaeological monuments on the register. Owing to Slavonic alphabet, the Cyrillic script in the earli- them, Bulgaria, together with and , is est capital city, Pliska to translate the liturgical amongst the three richest in ancient cultural her- books into Old and dissemi- itage countries in Europe. In the last years, Bul- nate them throughout the Slavic peoples. Under garia is back to where this country traditionally the kings Simeon the Great (893–927), Kaloyan belongs, the European family of nations. You will (1197–2007) and Ivan ІІ Asen (1218–1241) Bulgaria find below an account of fifteen must-see historic was one of the European great powers. sites in Bulgaria. Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov

Miniatures depicting moments of Bulgaria’s history, The Chronicle of Constantine Manasses (14th c.)

1 1 THE PREHISTORIC SALTERN IN PROVADIA AND THE WORLD’S EARLIEST GOLD ARTEFACTS NEAR VARNA

An aerial view of the saltern in Provadia with parts of the three systems, Middle to Late Chalcolithic, 4700–4350 BC

The New Stone Age (the Neolithic period) Back then, the human beings were farmers and was a quantum leap in human history with the settled mainly in the vast plains and the wide earliest Neolithic settlements within what is now river valleys, continuing almost unchanged well Bulgaria dating to the seventh millennium BC. into the Late Chalcolithic (fifth–fourth mill. BC).

A ceramic vessel, Middle Chalcolithic, 4700–4600 BC An anthropo-zoomorphic lid, Late Chalcolithic, 4600–4350 BC

2 Explorations of sites such as those at the villages process of brine evaporation in ceramic vessels of Ovcharovo, Polianitsa, Durankulak in the north- rather than saltpans. The production was sold in east or Karanovo in the south of Bulgaria suggest the south all the way to the Aegean Sea. a rich spiritual life of the people at the time. Hun- An archaeological discovery near the coastal dreds of unearthed idols and remarkably deco- city of Vatna showed what they exchanged salt rated pottery bear witness to that. for. A necropolis was unveiled there, where the Still, there was a special settlement among graves contained a hoard of finds dated to the those. The Neolithic farmers from what is now turn of the fourth century BC. Over 300 artefacts left their homes circa 5500 BC to cross the of pure gold feature prominently among them: and settle by the brine springs sceptres, axes, massive bangles, decorative near what is now the town of Provadia, seeking pieces, bull-shaped plaques. Even the beautiful after a vital substance, essential for the mainte- pottery was inlaid with gold. Remarkable is the nance of life, which we now call table salt. Millen- funeral of a high priest/king buried with a gold nia ago salt was used as the earliest money. That sceptre and regalia. Studies show that these are was the first salt production centre in Europe, the world’s earliest gold artefacts exchanged for applying a technology, used until now, involving a what is referred to as ‘white gold’, i.e. salt.

A gold sceptre, bangles and jewels, Chalcolithic necropolis, Varna

Gold appliqués, jewellery and zoomorphic plaques, Chalcolithic The burial of the king priest necropolis, Varna 3 2 THE SACRED CITY OF PERPERIKON NEAR KARDJALI AND THE ROCKY PEOPLE FROM THE RHODOPES

An aerial view of Perperikon

The rock-hewn city of Perperikon is located in mous oval, non-roofed hall with a majestic ro- the Rhodopes near what is now the city of Kard- tund altar in its centre. The room corresponds jali. The place was sanctified in hoary antiquity. to a description by Herodotus of a famous sanc- In the Late Bronze Age (18th–11th BC), and tuary dedicated to in the Rhodopes palaces appeared to form a city with an acropo- with a prophetess as renowned as the priestess lis, Palace Sanctuary and subtowns (suburbs). The of in Delphi. Roman chronicler Suetonius ground floors of the buildings were carved out of wrote that Alexander the Great was told there the rocks to a depth of 3–4 m to support stone that he would conquer the world and the Ro- masonry and trimmer joists. There were rock- mans learned that they would build an empire. cut streets, yards and squares, often enclosed by The sacred site was guarded by the Bessoi, and beautiful colonnades. An inventive drainage sys- the rock-cut city was their capital. tem was installed for rainwater. The city developed throughout antiquity and The multi-storey Palace Sanctuary with its the Romans, who came in 45, fortified the Acropo- more than 50 halls, rooms, underground mau- lis and added further glamour to Perperikon. soleums, hallways, roofed staircases covers an Monumental public buildings and new temples area of 10,000 sq. m. The complicated design of pagan gods were built. Here, in the beginning of the complex harks back to Minoan civilisa- of the fifth century, the earliest in the Rhodopes tion associating the Thracian culture with that conversion to Christianity was made and beauti- of Crete Troy and Mycenae. It includes an enor- ful monumental churches were erected. In the

4 A bronze statuette of A bronze statuette of Apollo, 2nd–3rd c. Dionysus, 2nd–3rd c.

The Palace Sanctuary Christian crosses from Perperikon twelfth throughout the fourteenth century, the masses of the Eastern Rhodopes. Two of them city was the centre of Achridos. In the gold mines stand out: the Thracian womb-like of the in the immediate vicinity large amounts of gold Great Mother Goddess and the only known for now were extracted. Bulgaria and Byzantium would of- sanctuary of legendary in the vicinities of ten wage wars over Perperikon that eventually fell the village of , in the region of . to the Ottomans in 1362 after a long siege. His symbolic grave is hewn in the massif and next Hundreds of sanctuaries and royal tombs to it a magnificent Hellenistic temple was built in have been carved out of the numerous rock the fourth or third century BC.

The temple of the Great Mother Goddess The temple of Orpheus, Tatul

5 3 THE ROYAL HUNT FROM THE TUMULUS OF ALEXANDROVO NEAR HASKOVO AND THE MYSTERIOUS DOLMENS IN THE SAKAR MOUNTAIN

The Royal Hunt, the tumulus of Alexandrovo

Thracians have from times immemorial in the Sakar Mountain alone. The most numerous lived in the low Sakar Mountain located between and best-preserved dolmens were found in the Bulgaria and . They have left for poster- region of . ity impressive stone structures, dolmens. Such The Thracian culture developed in the fol- structures, always associated with the cult of the lowing centuries to reach its heyday during the sun and burial practices, are widespread in Eu- Hellenistic period. Thus was how the magnifi- rope, Asia and Africa. The Thracian dolmens in the cent tomb of the fourth century BC at the village Sakar Mountain were built in the Early Iron Age of Alexandrovo in the vicinities of Haskovo hap- (twelfth–sixth cc. BC). Each of the large stones pened to be commissioned by a Thracian king usually weighs more than a tonne. They form a or a high-ranking nobleman. Unfortunately, the table-like chamber of upright stones, horizontally tomb was plundered and all rich objects of the roofed with a large capstone (trilithon). Some- funeral relating to the Thracian religious beliefs times an entrance is cut into one of the upright in an afterlife were lost. Still, unique frescoes stones. Dolmens have one or more chambers are extant depicting mostly scenes of boar and and have or have not a passageway (dromos). deer hunting as well as a composition of a lavish The chambers are either in line with each other funeral wake. Like all murals in Thracian burial or next to each other with individual entrances mounds, these frescoes also deal with the king’s to them. Bulgaria is believed to have about 750 afterlife. It is common knowledge that the Thra- such stone structures and there are about 600 cian aristocratic teaching of an afterlife pro-

6 The Museum of Thracian Art in the Eastern Rhodopes showcasing the replica of the Alexandrovo burial mound

Murals at the tumulus of Alexandrovo, detail The signature and the profile of the painter of the tumulus pounded the idea of an ‘eternal hunt’ and ‘eter- tion above in Greek letters deciphered as Κοζιμασης nal feasting and drinking’. χρηστός (Kozimases master). The former word is Over the scene of a funeral wake in the round undoubtedly the name of the painter, while the chamber across from the antechamber, a young latter might be translated as ‘skilful’, ‘gifted’, cer- man in profile facing left is incised with an inscrip- tainly referring to his consummate artistry.

The interior of a dolmen A marvellous dolmen in the Sakar Mountain

7 4 THE VALLEY OF THE THRACIAN KINGS NEAR KAZANLUK AND THE ROYAL MAUSOLEUMS IN STAROSEL

Murals, the tumulus of Kazanluk

There are thousands of Thracian tumuli of an ancient temple. The roof is topped with ga- across the Bulgarian lands. The region between bles and the interior is decorated with frescoes. the Balkan Mountains and the Sredna Gora Moun- Priestly sceptres, gold rings and necklaces, silver tains excels in this. Long ago, this was the land of and bronze vessels were unearthed in the mounds. the great kingdom of the Odrysae, a Thracian tribe, The biggest of the known tumuli belonged perhaps who under the kings Teres (490–464) and Sitalces to King Seuthes ІІІ (330–301), who built the capital (464–424), evolved into a serious power. A fourth- of the Odrysae, , where the gold funer- century BC tumulus was unearthed in the twenti- al wreath of the king was found along with other eth century near Kazanluk with murals reaching gold artefacts. A bronze head of a man was found, the zenith of Thracian art. The deceased king and portraying probably Seuthes ІІІ himself, made from his wife are depicted sitting at a table piled high life by a great Greek sculptor in the fourth century with dishes. Slaves serve wine and food, while a BC. There is a an unrobbed mound next to that of young man leads the chariot horses to take the Seuthes ІІІ, where royal bronze suits of armour, fine- king to the afterworld. Charioteers compete to pay ly painted pottery and a number of objects made their final tributes to their deceased king. of precious metals laid untouched. The apogee is a Other Odrysian burial mounds are located in death mask of a man’s face with realistic features, the vicinities of Kazanluk, in the so-called Valley made of pure gold and weighing almost 700 g. of the Thracian Kings. Original is the mausoleum Just tens of kilometres east of Kazanluk, in carved out of a single block of stone in the form the vicinities of the village of Starosel, yet another

8 Thracian undermound temple complex is located their gold treasures. The Vulchitrun incredible including splendid mausoleums with beautiful royal gold tableware weighing 12,5 kg dates as far principal fronts, colonnades and grand staircases. back as the fifteenth or fourteenth century BC. Of The main tumulus in Chetiniova Mogila is believed the Hellenistic Age (fourth–third cc. BC) are the to be the final resting place of Cotys І, the great well-known gold Thracian treasures such as that king of the Odrysae. of (nine solid gold vessels weigh- In addition to their monumental tumuli, Thra- ing 6,164 kg), the Rogozen collection of 165 silver cians were famous across the ancient world for gilt vessels, etc.

A gold wreath from the Thracian tumuli near Kazanluk

A bronze head of Seuthes ІІІ A gold cylix from the Thracian tumuli near Kazanluk

Chetiniova Mogila near Starosel A tumulus near Starosel

9 5 PHILIP’S CITY IN PLOVDIV AND THE SILENCE OF THE MONASTERY OF BACHKOVO

The Roman theatre, Plovdiv

Plovdiv, one of the most beautiful Bulgarian The prosperity of Trimontium came to an end cities, is steeped in history. The place name of in the third throughout the fifth century, when the earliest fortified settlement built there as barbarians sacked the Balkan Provinces of the far back as the days of the Trojan War was Eu- Roman Empire. Centuries after its establishing in molpia (Sweet-sounding), based on the myth of the seventh century, the Bulgarian state waged Orpheus, a legendary Thracian poet, singer and wars against Byzantium for the city named Plov- lyre-player. The place was initially inhabited by div. The Ottomans captured the city in the late the Thracian tribe of the Bessoi to then become fourteenth century and gave it the name Filibe. part of the Odrysian kingdom to be captured by One becomes mesmerised by the unique Philip II of Macedon in 342 BC. He developed the archaeological monuments that have survived city in the same vein as the Hellenistic urban in Plovdiv. The ancient amphitheatre, seating up planning and gave it his name. Varro Lucullus to 3,500, built under Emperor Trajan (98–117), is Terentius seized Philippopolis in 72 BC, and the the city’s gem. It is a semicircle with an outer city was renamed Trimontium (or Trium Mon- diameter of 82 m and 28 rows of marble seats tium – three hills). Within the Roman Empire providing stunning views of the Rhodopes dimly the city was autonomous and granted the right visible in the distance. No less imposing is the to mint its own . There was a senate and ancient stadium, which had a seating capacity an assembly hall for the citizens to set the tax of 30,000; 240 m in length and 50 m in width. rates and duties. The forum (143/136 m, 11 ha), a place for politi-

10 The Roman stadium, Plovdiv Hisar Kapı, Plovdiv

Mosaics, the ancient Eirene mansion, the Great Episcopal and the Small Early Christian Basilica, Plovdiv cal meetings, rallies and public feasts, was the mountains. The cloister was founded in 1083 by centre of Philippopolis, enclosed on all sides by Gregory Pakourianos, a prominent statesman public buildings and shops. and military commander of Alexius I Comnenus. Contemporary construction has destroyed Many Byzantine emperors and Bulgarian kings many of Plovdiv’s medieval monuments. But on made donations to the monastery and a painted the upside, just 15 km away, in the foothills of portrait of King Ivan Alexander (1331–1371) is still the Rhodopes, towers a unique medieval castle, extant. The marvellous eleventh-century murals the Asen’s Fortress (Gr. Stenimachos). Its history at the ossuary and the beautiful Churches of the is closely associated with that of the Monastery Dormition of the Theotokos and of the Holy Arch- of Bachkovo, nestling 5 km away, deeper into the angels have also survived to this day.

The Asen’s Fortress near The Monastery of Bachkovo Murals, Monastery of Bachkovo

11 6 ANCIENT MESSAMBRIA AND ITS ETERNAL RIVAL SOZOPOLIS

An aerial view of Nessebur

One of the most scenic places in Bulgaria is a gymnasia, palaestrae (sports facilities), bouleute- peninsula protruding into the , where the ria (building which housed the council of citizens in ancient city of Messambria (now Nessebur) is situ- ; an assembly hall). In Messambria ated. Between the eighth and sixth centuries BC, there was a theatre, where festivities were held this corner of paradise was colonised by citizens celebrating god Dionysus, and a big temple of the coming from the large Hellenic Megara. Over Greek sun god Apollo. The city existed in the Hel- the years, they built a beautiful fortified city with lenistic and Roman Ages and as early as the fifth all the elements of a city state in ancient Greece: century AD the city’s diocese was elevated to a

The Old Metropolitan Church, Nessebur The Fortress Gates, Nessebur The Church of Christ Pantocrator

12 metropolitan see. Of those days is the earliest ex- and monumental decoration is fully achieved here. tant Christian church on the peninsula, the 25,5 m On another beautiful peninsula on the Black long Old Metropolitan Basilica. In the , Sea coast, 65 km south of Messambria, the lat- tens of churches were built showcasing the splen- ter’s millennial rival, (Sozopolis) is located. dour of Orthodox architecture. Founded ca. 620 BC by Greek colonists from Mile- A walk on ancient Messambria is a real jour- tus on the coast of Asia Minor, the new city took its ney to the past. Passing through the remarkably name Apollonia from the cult of the sun god and a well-preserved gateway to the fortress, one gets 13 m high bronze statue of Apollo by the renowned into a network of narrow cobbled streets leading sculptor Calamis was erected in the second quar- through tightly packed old houses lined with wood- ter of the fifth century BC. en planks against the high sea winds. There are With the place name Sozopol the city, togeth- ancient churches of Christ Pantocrator, of St John er with Messambria (Nessebur), was permanently Aliturgetus, of St John the Baptist, of St Stephen, incorporated into the Bulgarian Kingdom in the etc., in the small squares. The brickwork with mar- thirteenth–fourteenth century. Archaeological ex- ble elements of their fronts combines in match- cavations uncovered walls of a fortress and Chris- less perfection with representations of suns, tian churches bearing witness to the city’s ancient human figures and fantastic animals; bands of past. Of special value is the explored medieval multicoloured ceramic pottery in quatrefoil shape monastery on the nearby island of St John, where and discs; fine Lombard bands of white stone. an ancient reliquary was found containing parti- A sought-after for centuries blend of architecture cles of St John the Forerunner’s relics.

A silver from The monastery on the island of St John near Sozopol Sozopol

A replica of the statue of Apollo A red-figure vase, An aerial view of Sozopol from the island of St John 4th c. BC 13 7 HERACLEA SINTICA NEAR THE CHURCH OF VANGA IN RUPITE AND THE BEAUTIFUL MOSAICS IN SANDANSKI

The forum, Heraclea Sintica

In antiquity Heraclea Sintica was known as tribe of the Sintians. It was a cosmopolitan city the great city of the Macedonian kings, mentioned of 40,000 or 50,000 inhabitants, home to different by eminent ancient authors such as Titus Livius peoples: Thracians, Hellenes, Macedons, Romans, and Pliny the Elder. It was great Bulgarian clair- and perhaps even Illyrians, ancestors of the voyant Vanga that showed where its ruins were. Albanians. Her house, grave and church are just one kilome- Archaeologists recently unearthed the cen- tre away, in the village of Rupite. She predicted tral square, comparable with that in Philippopo- that an ancient city, where a king’s son was killed, lis, surrounded by a Roman basilica housing the was buried in Mount Kozhuh. An inscription, dis- court of law and the chamber of commerce; a covered in 2002, conclusively showed that it was sanctuary and a long row of shops. The uncov- Heraclea Sintica. ered parts show that the marble-clad buildings The city was presumably founded in the have been lavishly decorated with columns, cor- second half of the forth century BC by Philip II nices and beautiful statues. of Macedon or his son Alexander the Great. The Heraclea Sintica survived into the Roman place took its name Heraclea from Heracles, as period, until the sixth century, when it was men- the kings of the Macedonian dynasty believed tioned for the last time in the tax lists in the days that they were descendents of the mythical of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I the Great. The Greek hero, and Sintica, because the new set- earliest Christen church in the region was discov- tlement was within the province of the Thracian ered there. The city was badly hit in a devastating

14 earthquake 400 years later and never recovered. derneath the modern-day Sandanski before Par- Still, Parthicopolis was built 20 or so kilometres thicopolis had its heyday. Fifth-sixth century ar- away in the fifth-sixth century, buried underneath chaeological remains reveal many public buildings the modern-day Sandanski. and early Christian , including an early This is yet another unique landmark in this Christian episcopal complex. The mosaic floorings sunny part of the Bulgarian lands. The Thracian found during the excavations are of huge histori- towns Maedius and Desudaba were buried un- cal interest. Some of them are displayed in situ.

A female head, A lion's head fountain spout, Heraclea Sintica

A statue of the Roman period An aerial view of the forum, Heraclea Sintica

The Episcopal Basilica, Sandanski Early Christian mosaics, Sandanski

15 8 THE ROMAN COLONY OF RATIARIA AND KING IVAN SRATSIMIR’S CAPITAL IN VIDIN

The residence of the provincial governor, Ratiaria

Ratiaria was a very important Roman city The most important archaeological discov- on the ; its remains are 27 km south- ery for now is the thoroughly studied residence east of Vidin and 2 km away from what is now of the governor of the province Dacia Ripensis the village of Archar. The very place name be- dating from the fourth throughout six centuries. speaks its significance to the river navigation, Very well studied are also the numerous archi- as in ratis was a vessel or boat made of tectural fragments, , inscribed grave- logs fastened together like a raft. The Romans stones, sarcophagi. The Ratiarian statuary was under Vespasian (69–79) founded Ratiaria in the exquisite and of high artistic quality. second half of the first century. Celebrating the A comprehensive aerial survey of the city successful end of the second Dacian War of 106, was conducted in the 1970s, providing informa- Emperor Trajan raised the status of the city to tion about the extant underground archaeologi- that of a Roman colony, i. e. the Ratiarians en- cal monuments, including the impressive public joyed the same privileges as the Roman citizens baths (thermae) comparable only to the bath There is evidence that the famous Legio IV Flavia complexes in . It is these sites that will be Felix was relocated to the city for a while. In the explored after the archaeological works were wake of Diocletian’s administrative reform of the resumed lately. late third century, Ratiaria became the capital Following the seventh century, Ratiaria nev- of the province Dacia Ripensis (‘riparian Dacia’) er revived, but in the Middle Ages the powers until 586, when it was sacked by the Avars. that be in the region moved to where the city of

16 A Roman stela, Ratiaria A Roman sarcophagus, Ratiaria

Vidin is now. There was also a roman city, Bono- ten called , was erected by the Dan- nia, over the remains of which a mighty Bulgar- ube that had survived by a miracle. In the late ian stronghold was raised in the ninth and the fourteenth century it was the capital city of the tenth centuries. Ancient historians wrote that Kingdom of Vidin under King Ivan Sratsimir. Ac- Bdin has always guarded the kingdom against cording to recent studies, the kingdom survived the western invaders. And in the thirteenth and several decades after the Kingdom of Turnovo fourteenth century, a magnificent castle, of- fell to the Ottomans in 1395.

The medieval Baba Vida castle

17 9 MISSIONIS, THE CITY OF ST ANDREW PROTOKLETOS NEAR TARGOVISHTE, AND THE STRONGHOLD OF SHUMEN

The boyar quarter, Missionis

Until recently, few people knew about the ley being an episcopal basilica. A building next ancient and medieval Bulgarian city of Missionis, to it served as a residence of the local bishops whose ruins are located 7 km west of Targov- whose see was within the city. And there was ishte, in the foothills at the base of the Balkan good reason to do so for St Andrew Protokletos Mountains. The city was identified by referring to (First Called) was carrying out in the first century the information provided by the twentieth-cen- his mission here to Christianise the people from tury Arabian geographer Muhammad al-Idrīsī. what is now the northeast of Bulgaria. In his work, he mentions in three instances the Like most of the Early Byzantine cities in this affluent, populous and prosperous city of Mis- part of the country, Missionis was abandoned fol- sionis. The citizens became extremely wealthy lowing the Slavic invasions of the seventh century. thorough trading with the entire world. Still, as early as the ninth and tenth centauries, the The Arabian scholar provided exceptionally city was brought to life anew as a proto-Bulgarian precise for his time measures of distance, used town named Kosovo. The city’s proximity to Bul- by the archaeologists to locate this ancient city, garia’s old capitals, Preslav and Turnovo, was cru- flourishing in the fifth and sixth centuries. Dec- cial. That was the reason why the ancient fortress ades of excavations unearthed a stronghold with was completely rebuilt between the twelfth and a fortified subtown (suburb) covering an area of fourteenth centuries. Now this stronghold of the 20 ha. Three early-Christian basilicas have been Second Bulgarian Kingdom heroically repelled the uncovered by now with the one in the inner bai- Ottoman invasion in the late fourteenth century.

18 The episcopal residence, Missionis A lead cross in relief portraying St Andrew the First Called, Missionis

Ottoman historian Mehmed Neşri respectfully tells At the time the ancient city near Targovishte how the governor of the fortress responded with was closely connected with another stronghold, dignity to the ultimatum of the invaders: ‘We shall 40 km north of and above what is now the city of not give up on our lord to knuckle under to the Shumen. The fortress of Shumen is now one of Turks!’. The excavations showed traces of a relent- the most well archaeologically uncovered forti- less siege, after which the fortress was reduced fied places in Bulgaria. Founded far back in an- to rubble in a devastating fire and the surviving tiquity, in the medieval period it was one of the defenders were sold into slavery. bastions of the Bulgarian Kingdom.

The fortress main gateway, Shumen The fortress of Shumen

The restored keep of the fortress of Shumen

19 10 PLISKA AND PRESLAV, THE MAJESTIC CAPITAL CITIES OF THE

The Great Basilica, Pliska

The Bulgarian state, one of the earliest in Eu- fied stronghold, where the palaces of Bulgaria’s rope, was established in 681. Its first capital city supreme sovereigns were erected, with baths, was Pliska, initially an enormous camp covering cisterns, pagan temples, secret passageways and an area of 23 sq. km to suit the semi-nomadic tunnels hidden beneath the city’s surface, water life of the proto-Bulgarians. Still, in the begin- and sewer systems, nothing short of a miracle at ning of the ninth centuries, stone constructions the time. Not far from Pliska, near the village of emerged. Khan Omourtag (814–831) built a forti- , the is carved in bas-relief

The Madara Rider A gold treasure, jewels, Pliska, 8th c.

20 in a rock face, depicting Tangra/, the prin- hundreds of splendid aristocratic estates and cipal god of the Proto-Bulgarians. rich monasteries. The Christianisation in 865 radically changed The largest ensemble was the majestic the skyline of the city. Tens of churches were palace of the Bulgarian kings modelled on that erected; of them the Great Basilica is the most in Constantinople. The curtain wall enclosed a famous. Almost 100 m in length, the building was number of monumental ceremonial buildings among the most majestic constructions in me- and Christian churches. Each of them was used dieval Europe. From the palaces of Prince Boris- in the incredibly complicated set of everyday Michael, the Baptiser of Bulgaria, to the basilica court rituals performed by the royal court. The led a road paved with stone slabs, on which the buildings were clad entirely in marble and deco- primates of Bulgaria headed spectacular pro- rated with columns, capitals and cornices. An- cessions. cient historians likened the multicoloured mar- In the late nineteenth century, under Sime- ble mosaic floorings to meadows with blooming on the Great (893–927) Bulgaria grew into an flowers. enormous empire bordering to the west what Built to survive for millennia, Bulgaria’s is now , to the northeast the Dnieper, capital Preslav fell in less than a century, in 971, and to the south, on the Aegean Sea. It was, to the Byzantines after a relentless siege. The therefore, necessary to move the capital city to city lost its grandeur forever, but even the Ot- Preslav, which would rival the Queen of Cities, tomans, who came here centuries later, learned Constantinople. The entire inner city and tens of about its former glory and named it Eski Stam- kilometres in the vicinities were interspersed by bul (the Old Istanbul).

The Golden Church, Preslav A reconstruction of the Palace Centre, Preslav

A monumental decoration, Preslav Mosaic floorings, Preslav A ceramic icon, Preslav

21 11 MILLENNIA-OLD SOFIA AND THE UNIQUE FRESCOES AT THE BOYANA CHURCH

The Basilica of St Sophia, Sofia

Sofia, the capital city of what is now Bulgaria by all the hierarchs in the country and supposed is steeped in history. The Thracian tribe of the Serdi to settle the controversy between the Orthodox (Sardi) lived here in the past and gave the name Christians and the Arians. The major archaeologi- of the earliest settlement, Serdica/Sardica, which cal monuments in Sofia such as the ruins of the evolved into an important city in the Roman period. Largo, the Churches of St Sophia and St George, Under Emperor Constantine І the Great (324–337), etc., have also survived from the Roman and the who moved the capital from Rome, Serdica was Early Christian periods. Archaeologists uncovered named as an alternative capital. The Council of lately Serdica’s Roman amphitheatre, which host- Sardica (Serdica) was held here in 343, attended ed gladiatorial combats and stage performances.

The Rotunda of St George, Sofia The Church of St Parasceve of Iconium, Sofia The East Gate to Serdica

22 In the ninth century, the Bulgarians, seizing the painter of the Boyana Church depicted the entire city from the Byzantines, called it . As the history of Christianity: the Nativity and Passion of major city of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom, So- Christ; the lives of the Theotokos and of the patron fia resisted an Ottoman siege of ten years. Of the saint of the church, St Nicholas. Some of the rep- numerous medieval churches, the small Church of resentations have unique individuality as those of St Parasceve of Iconium (Bulg. St Petka Samardji- Christ Euergetēs, St Eustatius, etc. iska, as the neighbourhood of the packsaddle mak- Fortunately, an extant building inscription at ers, semerci in Turkish, took care of the church) is the Boyana Church shows that the painting of the all that has survived and the rest are in ruins. But church was commissioned by Sebastokrator Ka- on the upside, a church with unique murals has loyan in 1259. Next to the text, the Sebastokrator survived in the foothills of Vitosha. and the Sebastokratorissa, his wife Desislava, are The Boyana Church was built in the eighteenth portrayed, as well as the royal couple, King Con- and the twelfth centuries, the time of the earli- stantine Asen and Queen Eirene. Apart from the est extant frescoed fragments. The church was incredibly for that time consummate artistry in extended and painted in the mid-thirteenth cen- portraiture, the representations provide ample op- tury, its murals were unanimously recognised as portunities to gain some insight into the everyday a masterpiece of Orthodox art and it is a UNESCO life, details of the clothing and regalia worn by the World Heritage Site. The unknown by name master medieval rulers and the nobleman.

The Boyana Church The west wall of the Boyana Church

The patron saint of the church, St Nicholas King Constantine Tych Asen and Queen Sebastokrator Kaloyan and his wife, Sebas- of Myra, a mural of 1259 Eirene, a mural of 1259 tokratorissa Desislava, a mural of 1259 23 12 VISHEGRAD CASTLE NEAR KARDJALI AND THE STONE GUARDS OF THE EASTERN RHODOPES

The Vishegrad castle

The mysterious Vishegrad castle near Kard- found themselves at a the ‘beautiful Vishegrad jali is a new promising archaeological project castle’ on the Arda River bank. Here he was told of cultural heritage tourism in this country. Its about the death of his brother, the first Latin ruins standing up to 10 m have enticed investiga- Emperor Baldwin I, taken prisoner by Bulgarian tors for quite a while now. It had a typical medie- King Kaloyan, and that a council of six Venetians val castle layout with a several-storey inner keep and six Franks had met to elect him as the new with a solar (the lord’s own room), a banqueting . hall and a small chapel. According to our infor- Vishegrad is by no means the only well-pre- mation, in the twelfth throughout the fourteenth served fortress in the Eastern Rhodopes. Histori- century it was the private residence of the gov- cal records contain evidence of several well-for- ernors of Achridos, the name of the Eastern tified towns in Achridos of that time. These were Rhodopes at that time. Even Henri de Hainaut Perperikon, Mneakos, , Ephraim, Krivus and (Henry of Flanders), the second emperor of the Patmos. Most of them have been localised and im- Latin Empire, which the army of the Fourth Cru- press with very well preserved fortifications. Along sade set up on the ruins of the , with these strongholds, there were many smaller was really impressed with the castle. Chronicler fortified places in the region, now discovered ar- Geoffroi de Villehardouin recounts how during chaeologically. The latter are not mentioned in the his military campaign in the mountains in 1206, sources, because these were not cities, but rather the heir of the counts of Flanders and his army observation posts and strongpoints.

24 The Ustra Fortress The Mneakos Fortress

One of the strongholds in the Eastern Rho- Achridos and a new, even more beautiful church dopes is, however, somewhat different. Like with wonderful frescoes was erected. Next to Vishegrad, it is situated on the left bank of the it are the remains of the episcopal palace, the Arda River; presently within the city of Kardjali. refectory and the residential wings. During ar- This is the monumental Monastery of St John chaeological excavations tombs of bishops were the Baptist (Prodromos), founded as early as the unearthed, some of them dressed in richly em- eighth or ninth century. In the eighteenth and broidered brocaded garments, made by the best twelfth centuries it became the episcopal see of bespoke tailors in Constantinople.

The Monastery of St John the Forerunner in Kardjali with the castle walls

Fragments of the embroidered brocaded garments found in the Monastery of St John the Forerunner

25 13 THE BLESSED GREAT ROYAL CITY OF TURNOVO AND THE AMAZING VILLAGE OF ARBANASSI

The royal city of Turnovo

These epithets are not a over-elaborate was the heart of the with its set of wordage, but rather a late fourteenth-century walls covering an area of more than 100,000 sq. m. description of the capital city of the Second Bul- Within the walls were the temporal and spiritual garian Kingdom by Euthymius, Patriarch of Bul- authorities: the king and the patriarch lived in garia. The Byzantines also treated the city with the two inner . The royal church and the respect, dignifying it as ‘the largest’, ‘the most Throne Room were decorated with magnificent sightworthy’ and ‘the most impregnable’ beyond mosaics and murals, and the principal church of the Haemus (the Balkan Mountains). Callistus I, the Bulgarian Kingdom, the Patriarchal Cathedral Patriarch of Constantinople ranked it second in of the Ascension of Christ towered over every- the world behind only Constantinople. thing else. The remains of Bulgaria’s medieval capi- The estates and the manor houses of Bul- tal are situated on the naturally defended hills garian highest-ranking nobility were supposedly , , Momina Krepost shaped on the Trapezitsa fortified hill. The quarters Nov by the scenic meanders of the River. Grad (the New City), Frank Hisar (the hub of the A mighty Byzantine fortress was built on Tsare- West-European merchants with their own catho- vets after the fourth century; still, the successful lic church in Gothic style), huge Jewish and Arme- uprising against the Romaioi in 1185 gave a strong nian colonies were located in the foothills around impetus for construction. The Asen dynasty ar- the fast-flowing Yantra. Nov Grad was the largest duously constructed their capital city. Tsarevets one with still extant beautiful churches of the

26 An earthenware bowl, Turnovo

A ring with precious gemstones and a gold coin of King Ivan The Church of St Demetrius, Veliko Turnovo Asen ІІ, Turnovo

Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, Sts and Paul houses were constructed between the fifteenth and St Demetrius. and seventeenth centuries, as well as the splen- The splendid capital city of Bulgaria was cap- did churches of the Nativity, the Holy Archangels tured, sacked and plundered by the Ottomans Michael and Gabriel, St Demetrius, St George, on 17 July 1393. Some of the quarters survived in St Athanasius, St Nicholas and of the Theotokos. the following centuries, yet Christians opted for a They were reconstructed, overpainted and deco- hill four kilometres away from Tsarevets to build rated on many occasions over the years to be- the village of Arbanassi. Many multi-storey stone come a real treasure trove of ancient art.

The Constantsaliev’s mansion, Arbanassi, 12th c. The Church of the Nativity, murals, Arbanassi

27 14 THE AUSTERE CHERVEN AND THE ROCK-HEWN MONASTERIES IN IVANOVO NEAR RUSE

The medieval town of Cherven

There is a scenic spot in the northeast of the U-turn and the horseshoe-shaped meander closes vast expanse of the Danubian Plain: the canyons off a steep hill on all sides. Impregnable Cherven, sculpted over the course of the millennia by the one of the most important Bulgarian towns in the River and its tributaries. One of thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, is perched on these, the Cherni Lom, makes an almost complete it. It was built over the ruins of an earlier Byzantine

One of the main towers in Cherven A church in Cherven

28 fortress and the remains of its battlements and closed at one end by the castle walls. Big public turrets were directly incorporated into the medi- buildings with stone benches for the noblemen eval stronghold. A castle was constructed atop the and the elders along the walls were unearthed in hill within the walls and fortified subtowns (sub- the central square. urbs) mushroomed outside of the walls. The unbelievably river canyons attracted The city has been through many vicissitudes: also hermit monks in the Middle Ages. Tens of in the early fifteenth century, it fell to and was rock monasteries in caves, natural or hewn in the reduced to ashes by the Tatars, the curse of that steep rock faces, are seen as far as the Danube. time. Later, however, Bulgarian kings completely The most famous of them is the Ivanovo Rock rebuilt it even more beautiful and majestic. The Monastery on the Rusenski Lom River, one of the Ottomans brought an end to the history of the Bulgarian UNESCO World Heritage Sites. With its town by seizing it in the late fourteenth century. stunning and perfectly preserved frescoes its Cherven offers perfect opportunities for catholicon is a classical example of the sublime sightseeing a Bulgarian medieval town of the style of the fourteenth-century Orthodox art. thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. With its Presently, Ivanovo is a historic and nature re- many beautiful churches, residential buildings serve, where beside the cultural landmarks, the and complex fortified facilities the town was just unique flora and fauna is preserved. There one like any other city in Western and Central Eu- feels taken as if by magic back to the past of the rope. Stone two-, three- or more-storey houses Bulgarian lands, breaking away from the twenty- stood on either side of dead-end narrow streets first century for a while.

The Monastery of near Ruse on the Danube Ivanovo Rock-hewn churches

The Last Supper, the rock-hewn Church of the Theotokos Murals, 14th c., Ivanovo Rock-hewn churches

29 15 THE HOLY MONASTERY OF RILA AND THE GOD-BUILT MELNIK

Rila Monastery with the Khrellyo’s keep

St John of Rila is Bulgaria’s main saint, who domed Church of the Theotokos, built in 1837, the after living for years as a hermit moved to a cave apotheosis of the Bulgarian National Revival period in the depths of the luxuriant forests of the Rila and the incipient national upsurge. It was painted Mountains. It was where a monastery was founded by the best icon painters of the period, including as early as the tenth century, which grew much 1,200 scenes and individual images. The gilded larger after the fourteenth century. Presently, wooden fretwork iconostasis is an exquisite piece extant is the five-storey Khrellyo’s keep (23 m in of woodcarving. height), erected in 1334–1335 and remarkable for If there is still time for more impressions af- its fourteenth-century magnificent frescoes at the ter the visit to the , one should pop Chapel of the Transfiguration on the upper floor. along to the ruins of a medieval town, which was In the nineteenth century, master builders, closely associated with the cloister in the thir- flocked from across Bulgaria and three decades teenth and the fourteenth centuries, reaching it constructed the Rila Monastery to give it its pre- by Strouma Motorway. In a charter of the time, the sent-day appearance. Two gates, that of smallest of all the Bulgarian contemporary towns and that of , connect the monastic clois- is referred to as ‘God-built. At the time the town ter with the outside world. The cells and guest was nothing short of a miracle of the art of forti- rooms occupy four storeys, beautifully decorated fication. Despotes Alexis Slav, a cousin of King Ka- with stairways, columns and loggias. The centre of loyan, contributed extensively to the development the monastery undoubtedly is the three-nave five- of the town.

30 Murals, the Church of the Theotokos

Murals, 14th c., Chapel of the Khrellyo’s keep The iconostasis of the Church of the Theotokos

Due to its impregnability the castle counted survived, still standing up to 10–12 m high. It is in on the sheer rock walls, rather than being en- fact a manor, where beside the apartments there closed within built walls. Still, there was an area was a chapel, outbuildings and even a wine cellar, entirely protected by strong walls, i.e. the inner where the popular wine of Melnik was stored. keep in the southwestern part of the plateau. It Tens of churches towered over the medieval was the place of last refuge when defending the Melnik with the Church of St Nicholas and the inner stronghold. Yet, Despotes Alexis had another, Monastery of the Most Holy Mother of God of the much more comfortable residence, the so-called Cave (Spileotissa) shining among them. The ex- boyar’s mansion, relatively well-preserved at the cavations uncovered even their bells, the earliest foot of the fortress; some parts of its walls have across Europe.

The boyar’s mansion, Melnik The Church of St Nicholas, A church bell, 13th c., Melnik murals, Melnik 31 MAP 15 MUST-SEE HISTORIC LANDMARKS IN BULGARIA

8 RATIARIA

11 SOFIA KAZANLUK 4

15 RILA MONASTERY PLOVDIV 5

VISHEGRAD 12 7 HERACLEA SINTICA

32 14 CHERVEN

10 PLISKA

MISSIONIS 9 10 PRESLAV 1 PROVADIA 13 VELIKO TURNOVO

NESSEBUR 6

SOZOPOL 6

3 ALEXANDROVO

© Nikolay Ovcharov, 2021 2 PERPERIKON © Photographs courtesy of Prof. Dr Nikolay Ovcharov, Corr. Mem. Vasil Nikolov, Assoc. Prof. Dr Lyudmil Vagalinski, Assoc. Prof. Dr Zdravko Dimitrov, 2021 © Translated by Milena Lilova, 2021 © Unicart Ltd, 2021 Designed by Milena Ganeva Edited by Milena Lilova ISBN 978-619-7629-01-9