St Georgi Churche, village of Studena

Overview

Despite the strict Ottoman authorities' prohibition for the Bulgarians to build Christian churches, intensive church construction began in the XV-XVII century, in the Pernik region. The new churches were modest buildings, small in size, often half-dug in the ground. A bright representative of this period is the St. Georgi church, located in the village of Studena. It is the best-preserved in the region.

It is a typical triconch church - small in size, one-nave, one-apse, vaulted with a semi-cylindrical vault. A characteristic feature is the two side cocks (conchs), which are built up to the height of the roof. The apse has a separate cover. The only entrance to the church is on the west wall. It is dug into the ground and descended with three stone steps. The vault of the church was demolished and rebuilt. The church is made of hewn stones connected with mortar. Bricks on the east and west walls were also used. The apse is made of stone blocks too, and the three-sided cornice above it is of old Roman blocks.

This architectural style was used in the construction of the Athos monastic churches and spread to the Balkans in the XIV-XV century.

According to local legend, the vault of the temple was demolished and in the XVIII century restored by priest Todor as the walls were plastered and the old frescoes remain under the new plaster. In the 70s of the XIX century, the Samokov artist Kosta Gerov painted the church again. Prof. Vasiliev removed the late frescoes in 1938 and thus revealed the earliest layer. In 1955 it was declared a cultural monument of national importance.