Boyana Church - the Church of Saint Nicholas and Saint Panteleimon

Website

http://www.boyanachurch.org/abouten.htm

Address

1-3 Boyansko Ezero Str.

Location

42.644744,23.266082

Description

At the foot of Vitosha mountain, in the Boyana district of Sofia is located St. Nicholas and St. Panteleimon Church, also known as Boyana Church. The temple owes its worldwide reputation to the frescoes from 1259 that reflect the outstanding achievements of the Bulgarian medieval culture. It is these frescoes that are the forerunners of the European Renaissance. Most of the images have been distinguished by individuality, convincing psychological characteristics and vitality. Among them are the rare portraits of a Bulgarian royal couple from that epoch -Tsar Constantine-Asen Tih and Tsaritsa Irina and of the donors sevastokrator Kaloyan and his wife Desislava.

Historical Information

The church is a cultural monument under UNESCO protection, inscribed in the World Heritage List in 1979.