The Boyana church

The Boyana church is one of the few examples of medieval art in Bulgaria that have survived to date. What is more, the small church is one of 9 sites in Bulgaria, inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list for its cultural value.

The Boyana church lies in the suburbs of Sofia, in the ex-village and current quarter of the capital city, Boyana, and was originally built during the late 10th century-early 11th c. At that time, the church lay within a fortified settlement, the so-called Boyana Fortress (10-11th c.). Later on, the church was rebuilt and expanded twice - first in the middle of the 13th century and then - in the middle of the 19th century, though the output of the last stage did not carry any remarkable value.

Even if the church's walls were first decorated in the 11th century, the Boyana Church is most famous for its masterly paintings of the 13th century, and particularly those painted in 1259. Among all paintings preserved to date, the greatest interest is attracted to the portraits of the church-donors - Sebastocrator Kaloyan and Sebastocratoress Desislava and those of the royal family of that time - Tsar Constantin Assen and his wife Irina. Their imposing figures are painted in full size, vested in rich ceremonial clothes adequate to their rank in the hierarchy of the then-feudal society. The portraits of the donors are particularly expressive and realistic, which has made many researchers label them as true masterpieces of the medieval period.

The Boyana Church is about 900 years old. During its existence, the Church has undergone many transformation and extensions, and thus its present complex volume differs considerably from the original. New buildings have been added to the First (Eastern) Church, architectural transformations have been made, the decoration has been changed. At present the Boyana Church consists buildings - from the 11th, 13th and 19th centuries. Only the first two churches, built during the Middle Ages, possess significant aesthetic and architectural value.

The most interesting part of the monument are the murals done in 1259. The frescoes are rich in tone. The artist skilfully combines the requirements of iconographical canons with real life. 89 scenes are depicted, containing 240 human images - a real art gallery of the 13th century. The portraits of the founder of the church - patron Kalyian and his wife Desislava and of prince Konstantin and his wife Irina are the supreme peak of the skill of the artist. The monument was included in the World Register of Historical and Natural Sites in 1979.