Bishop John's basilica, Sandanski town

Overview

The basilica was built in the 5th century AD. It was discovered in 1960 during construction works in the city center. It has been studied only in its western half, as the eastern half is located under a street and under buildings. The outer and inner narthex, two side rooms, and the western part of the nave were discovered. As for the unexplored eastern half of the church, it is not known how many apses it ended with and what shape it took.

The floors of the basilica are covered with multicolored mosaics with geometric, plant and animal ornaments. Every symbol used is part of the early Christian semiotic system. You can see beautiful panels depicting birds (symbol of paradise), fish (symbol of Christ) and flowers (symbol of eternal life). A Greek inscription is placed in the middle panel in the inner narthex. This inscription reads that the building was built by Bishop John.

To the west of the church lies a courtyard. Today it houses the Archaeological Museum of Sandanski.