Bulgarian scientists explore 16th ‎century church frescoes in Bulgaria in new edition

published on 4/24/23 2:41 PM

Photo: Institute of Art Studies, BAS

Scientists from the Institute for the Study of Arts of the Bulgarian ‎Academy of Sciences have been studying 37 Bulgarian churches for ‎several years in order to present a systematic description of the ‎monumental church painting from the 16th century in Bulgarian lands. ‎The luxurious edition "Corpus of 16th century frescoes in Bulgaria" is ‎accompanied by rich visual imagery created by master icon painters.

At that time, Bulgaria was part of the Ottoman Empire and the Bulgarian ‎population - in addition to fulfilling obligations, also enjoyed certain ‎rights. One of them allowed them to profess the Christian faith, as Paisius ‎of Hilendar also testifies. "During these years, the Turkish king gave ‎freedom to the Christians to build churches", he wrote in the biography of ‎the icon painter and temple builder Saint Pimen Zografski. ‎

‎"New temples came to life with varied ornamentation”, says Prof. Biserka ‎Penkova, head of the scientific team. “Some monasteries were built ‎thrived, for example the Rozhen Monastery at the end of the 16th century. ‎At the same time, monastic monasteries were built around Sofia and, ‎together with the older ones, formed the so-called Sofia Holy Mountain ‎‎(Sofia Sveta Gora) - a network of smaller monasteries which turned into ‎spiritual centers. Literature was collected in them, and their temples were ‎exquisitely decorated. Here I will also add some bishop’s ‎churches, ‎for example the one in Nessebar. The better the temple is decorated, the ‎better the craftsmen - all this spoke of the prestige and high rank of both ‎the local population and the respective bishop."‎

The iconographers of these religious centers came from different parts of ‎the Balkan Peninsula, mainly from Northern Greece, as evidenced by the ‎inscriptions attached to the images. However, their names remain ‎unknown, since the artists were not perceived as true creators, but only as ‎conveyors of God's providence.‎

In their research, the scientists came across several churches without any ‎recorded information thereof until now. The wall paintings of the ‎currently restored church of the Divotinsky Monastery, the Holy Trinity ‎church, are also a surprise.‎

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‎"The Divotinsky monastery is a new site”, adds Prof. Biserka Penkova. ‎‎“The frescoes were revealed after the restorers began to remove the ‎whitewash that had covered them. I myself have not yet seen them, ‎because the monks do not allow mass visits for the time being. But it's ‎really a very interesting monument."‎

Unfortunately, many of the wall paintings in the studied religious sites are ‎in a deplorable state, and it is possible that one day only what scientists ‎have written will testify to their existence. ‎

‎"We are entering into a conversation about the state, about responsibilities ‎‎- unfortunately, this is a very complex and ambiguous issue”, says Prof. ‎Biserka Penkova. “Whose responsibility is it? The main problem is the ‎issue of management. If there are owners, there is care, there are chances ‎of preservation. But there are many cases of abandoned, long-deserted ‎small monasteries or temples, left outside the inhabited villages or towns, ‎which cannot be maintained. And they, unfortunately, are crumbling."‎

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Photos: BGNES, Institute of Art Studies, Diana Tsankova

English translation and publication by Rositsa Petkova

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