Boyana Church “St. Nikola and St. Panteleimon"

The Boyana Church “St. Nikola and St. Panteleimon" (St. Pantaleon) is a medieval / Early Renaissance Bulgarian church located in today’s Boyana, a suburb of the Bulgarian capital Sofia. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. It is a two-storey tomb church, with the lower storey designed as a crypt (tomb), and the upper storey – as a chappel for the family of the local feudal lord.

The earliest construction of the Boyana Church took place at the end of the 10th and the beginning of the 11th century AD when a small one-apse cross dome church was erected. It was expanded in the 13th century when it was turned into a two-storey family tomb church by the local feudal lord, Sebastokrator Kaloyan, ruler of Sredets (today’s Sofia, known as Serdica in the Antiquity period), and his wife, Sebastokratoritsa Desislava, as testified by a donor‘s inscription in the church from 1259 AD.

Sebastokrator (pronounced sevastokrator) was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire and in the Bulgarian Empire. It comes from “sebastos" (“venerable", the Greek equivalent of the Latin “Augustus") and “kratоr" (“ruler"). The wife of a sebastokrator was named sebastokratorissa in Greek and sevastokratitsa in Bulgarian.)

A second expansion dates back to the mid 19th century, during Bulgaria’s National Revival period, when residents of the then village of Boyana funded further construction. After Bulgaria’s National Liberation from the Ottoman Empire in 1878, local residents wanted to tear down the Boyana Church in order to build a bigger one in its place but was saved by Bulgaria’s Tsaritsa-Consort Eleonore (1860-1917), the second wife of Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand (r. 1887-1918).

The unique murals of the Boyana Church also date back to different periods. The oldest layer is from the 11th-12th century, while the 240 most valuable mural depictions from the second layer date back to 1259 AD.

There are also murals from the 14th century, the 16th-17th century, and 1882. The world famous murals from 1259 AD, which have been described by many scholars as Early Renaissnace or precursors of Renaissance Art, are the work of the unknown Boyana Master and his disciples who are believed to have been representatives of the Tarnovo Art School in the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396 AD).

They have sometimes been described as belonging to the tradition of the so called Byzantine Palaiologos (Palaeologus or Palaeologue) Renaissence. In addition to the many biblical scenes, the murals at the Boyana Church feature depictions of Sebastokrator Kaloyan and Sebastokratoritsa Desislava as donors, as well as of Bulgarian Tsar Konstantin Asen Tih (r. 1257-1277 AD) and his wife, Tsaritrsa Irina.

Two other small churches preserved in today’s Sofia are also attributed to the donorship of Sebastokrator Kaloyan. The frescoes of the Boyana Church were restored several times between 1912 and 2006. The Boyana Church was first opened for visitors as a museum in 1977.

http://archaeologyinbulgaria.com/2015/04/13/bulgarias-early-renaissance-boyana-church-has-the-most-impressive-crucifixion-mural-curator-says/

Ruse : Bulgaria "Little Vienna"

The city of Ruse is situated on the highest right bank of the Danube river, at a distance of 320 km from Sofia, 200 km from Varna and about 300 km from Plovdiv. The population of the city is about 180 000 people. This is one of the largest cities in the country – an important cultural, commercial and industrial center.

The close proximity of the river Danube had always had a great significance for the development of the city from antiquity to the present day. The Roman military camp and fortress were established here in the 1st century AD. It had the name of Seksaginta Pristis –Port of the Sixty Boats. Since the 16th century the city had been known under its Ottoman name - Ruschuk. During the Ottoman dominion, Ruse was one of the main cities of the Ottoman Empire, which reflected on its economical and cultural development. Ruse was number one in many terms – the first railway station in Bulgaria was constructed here; a contemporary publishing house was established; a newspaper was issued; the city was a headquarter of multiple consulates.

After 1878 Ruse was the largest city in Bulgaria Principality, its economy was developing very fast and this had its influence upon the entire appearance of the city. The connection which the city was having with Europe through the Danube river was favorable for its development. Due to the beautiful architecture and the internal shaping of the buildings constructed by Italian, Austrian, German and Bulgarian architects, Ruse was also known as “The Small Vienna”.

One of the city symbols is the Building of the Tax Administration – a beautiful building in the center of Ruse. It was constructed in 1901-1902 and impresses the visitors with its wonderful façade and the seven figures on the roof. They are a symbol of arts, science, music, agriculture, commerce, defense and the free spirit flight. On the top is the symbol of commerce – Mercury.

Another significant place to visit is The Regional Historical Museum. More than 130 000 monuments of culture are stored in it. Among them is the Borovsko Thracian Treasure – a set of up to five silver ritual vessels dating back to the 4th century BC.

Another interesting landmark is the Museum of the City Style of Life, also called The Kaliopa House. Its exposition represents the interior of a rich Ruse home from the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, and the beautiful wall-paintings on the second floor were made by the Austrian painter Charles Schausberg.

The museum house of Zahari Stoyanov is situated in close proximity to the Museum of the City Style of Life. Two expositions are presented inside it – the first one is dedicated to the revolutionary and writer Zahari Stoyanov (1850 – 1889), and the second one traces the history of Obretenov family from Ruse and their activity for the national movement for liberation of Ottoman dominion.

The mortal remains of Zahari Stoyanov, as well as those of many other renowned Bulgarians, are stored in the Pantheon of the Leaders of the Bulgarian National Revival in Ruse. Tribute is paid to more than 450 leaders of the Bulgarian National Revival in the ossuary temple.

One of the most interesting landmarks of the city of Ruse is the remains of the fortress Seksaginta Prista. It is situated in the north-west part of the city, on a small hill near the bank of the Danube river. The closed exposition presents the fortress scales, and a part of the finds can also be viewed in the historical museum of Ruse, where they are exhibited in a separate room.

The only National Museum of Transport in Bulgaria is situated in Ruse, which is housed in the building of the first railway station in Bulgaria. Among the most interesting exponents of the museum are the coaches of the tsars Ferdinand (1887 – 1918) and Boris ІІІ (1918 – 1943), and also the saloon coach of Sultan Abdul Aziz (1830 – 1876). There are three halls in the museum, displaying the history of railway transport and shipping in Bulgaria.

There are also interesting and beautiful landmarks in the vicinity of the city of Ruse. The beautiful Natural Park Rusenski Lom is situated at a distance of 20 km south-west from the city, on an area of 3408 hectares. The park offers various options for ecological and alternative tourism, and a number of significant historical and cultural monuments are situated within its borders. The remains of the medieval town of Cherven – one of the largest military, economic and cultural centers of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185 – 1393), are among them. The Ivanovski Rock Churches are also situated here – a site included in the List of Global Cultural Inheritance of UNESCO. Another religious center in close proximity to Ruse is the monastery St. Dimitar Basarbovski – the only active rock monastery in Bulgaria.

Even today the Danube river is a basic factor for the development not only of Ruse, but for all of Bulgaria. The Danube Bridge by Ruse has a strategic importance because the crossing of the river by automobile and railway transport in the eastern part of the Bulgarian peninsula had been performed only through it. A number of cruise companies organize travels along the Danube and some of them include passing through the Bulgarian territory in their schedules.

The city is a host of multiple cultural events such as the Ruse Carnival, the March Music Days, the Autumn Days of Arts and Science, etc.

The tourist exhibition entitled Weekend Tourism is conducted annually in Ruse. The festival of Tourist Entertainment and Animation is also conducted as a part of the schedule within the framework of the Exhibition.

Ruse offers various categories of accommodation places, catering and entertainment establishments. You can find more information regarding the landmarks and the events in city and accommodation places in the Tourist Information Center which is situated on the central square.

https://bulgariatravel.org/en/object/88/Ruse#map=6/42.750/25.380

Feast of Saint Clement of Ohrid

On December 8, the Macedonian Orthodox Church celebrates the feast day of Saint Clement of Ohrid. As he is the patron saint of North Macedonia, Saint Clement of Ohrid Day is one of the country's public holidays.

St. Clement was a Bulgarian scholar, writer and enlightener. He was born circa 840 in the region of Kutmichevitsa. Clement was the most prominent disciple of Saint Cyril and Methodius, he took part in their mission to Great Moravia. After Cyril's death Clement accompanied Methodius on his journeys.

St. Clement was one of the most important and prolific authors in Old Church Slavonic and the creator of the Ohrid Literary School, a major cultural center of the Bulgarian Empire. He is also credited with the creation of the Cyrillic script based on the Glagolitic alphabet developed by Cyril and Methodius. In Bulgaria and North Macedonia, St. Clement is venerated as a patron of language and education.

Saint Clement of Ohrid Day was first celebrated as a non-working public holiday in 2007. The holiday is marked with various cultural events held throughout the country. On this day, North Macedonian citizens with outstanding lifetimes achievements in culture, art or sports are presented the Saint Clement Award.

Saint Clement of Ohrid

The early life of St. Clement is largely unknown. According to his hagiography by Theophylact of Ochrid, Clement was born in southwestern part of the Bulgarian Empire, in the region then known as Kutmichevitsa[1]. He was a member of the group of missionary priests that included Naum, Sava, Gorazd, and Angelar who supported the Apostles to the Slavs evangelizing in middle Europe. Having rejected German missionaries from the Western Church who required the use of Latin as the liturgical language, Prince Rastislav of Great Moravia requested Constantinople to send missionaries who could preach the Word of God in the Slavonic language. Arriving in Moravia as ascetics led by Cyril and Methodius, Clement and his fellow missionaries evangelized the Slavic tribes in the Slavonic language, using the Glagolitic alphabet devised by Cyril.

Thus, language became the center of the conflict with the Frankish and German rulers and clergy as the Germans used Latin. With their liturgy denigrated as a "heretical Slavic Liturgy", Cyril and Methodius, accompanied by Clement, twice had to defend their liturgy before the Pope of Rome, first before Pope Adrian II and, again, before Pope John VIII in 880, both who authorized its use.

During these years, the missionaries enjoyed the support of Prince Rastislav until 870. But, after Rastislav lost his realm to his nephew, prince Svyatopolk, who supported the German missionaries, the evangelization environment of the Slavic missionaries began to change as the Germans increasingly pressed the language issue. After the death of Methodius in 885 Pope Stephen V forced all the Slavonic speaking disciples of St. Methodius to leave Moravia, that is now part of the Czech Republic, after having subjecting them to trial and then dispersement.

Clement was among the disciples who were welcomed by the Bulgarian prince Boris to preach to his people in their language. As Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Clement received an appointment, in 886, to teach at Kutmichivitsa, a region in southwest Macedonia where he created separate schools for adults and for children. He organized a school at the princely court, which attained high esteem during the reign of Boris' son Simeon. St. Clement worked as a teacher until 893. In 893, St. Clement was named Bishop of Dremvitsa, or Velitsa.

St. Clement was the first hierarch of Bulgaria to serve, preach, and write in the Slavonic language. To this end he systematically prepared clergy from among the Slavic people. He labored for the glory of God into his old age. When his strength began to fail, and he was unable to fulfill his responsibilities in the cathedral, he asked Tsar Simeon to let him retire. But, Simeon urged him to continue his episcopal duties, to which Clement agreed.

Later, Clement left for Ochrid in Macedonia where he founded a monastery. There, he continued his translation activities and translated important parts of the Pentecostarion into Slavic. During 916, St. Clement became seriously ill and departed to the Lord. His body was placed in a coffin that he made with his own hands and was buried in the Monastery of St. Panteleimon which he founded at Ohrid.

Of the other members of his missionary group, the relics of Ss. Gorazd and Angelar rest near Berat in Albania, while the relics St. Naum are in the monastery bearing his name, near Lake Ochrid.

St. Clement is considered the first author in the Slavonic language. In addition to his continuation of the translation work begun by Ss. Cyril and Methodius, he also left behind works of his own composition, the first samples of Slavonic spiritual literature. Many of the lessons and sermons of St. Clement were brought to Russia, where they were read and copied by pious Russian Christians. He wrote a biography of Ss. Cyril and Methodius.

Credit OrthodoxWiki