Medieval church of St. Archangel Michael

Overview

Church "St. Archangel Michael ”is located 18 km west of the largest medieval monastery in Bulgaria - Rila Monastery, founded in the X century by St. Ivan Rilski. It was built on his land in the XII century and was under his protection. The church is mentioned in the deed of gift (Chrysovul) of Tsar Ivan Shishman from 1378. It is one of the few preserved in Bulgaria cross-domed, inscribed in a square churches, spread on the Balkan Peninsula in the period XII-XIV century. "St. Archangel Michael ”is a monument of medieval architecture and wall painting, with discovered frescoes from the XII century. The church is undergoing significant destruction and change. Its old original construction is best preserved on the north and east sides, with its inherent pilasters, arches and niches. In 1995, a restoration team led by Prof. Dr. Lyuben Prashkov discovered under late plasters on the northern and eastern walls of the church, unique fragments of wall paintings. In the stage clearings and restoration works during the period from 1994 to 2001, about 50 sq.m of medieval paintings were successively discovered. At the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century the temple was repaired and mainly expanded to the west. The western wall was probably removed then. At the same time, a new lime plaster was applied to the entire surface of the walls and some of them were painted with traditional paintings for the first half of the 19th century. In 1994-1995, about 16 sq. M of this period were discovered under late lime badans (white lime dissolved in water for painting), with which the Revival frescoes amounted to an area of ​​35 sq. M. In the 1940s, a dining room was added to the west, with a niche with the cartridge image on the east wall. This wall was then the western facade of the church. Part of the northern and part of the eastern wall with the frescoes dating back to the 12th century have been preserved from the medieval temple. The upper part of the building together with the dome are late alterations of perishable materials, uncharacteristic of the medieval temple. The proximity of the church to the Rila Monastery - a world cultural monument, and the presence of 37 cultural monuments in the town of Rila are a prerequisite for the development of Bulgarian and international cultural tourism in the region. The church "St. Archangel Michael ”is included in the thematic cultural route Kyustendil-Sapareva Banya-Rila-Rila Monastery developed by the Kyustendil region.