Church of St. George, Arbanassi

Overview

Church of St. George is located in the northwestern part of the village of Arbanassi. It is a cultural heritage monument of national significance.

The temple is a single-nave single-apse church, with a narthex from the west and a gallery on the north side. Two construction periods can be distinguished from an architectural point of view – the first one from the 16th century, and the second – from the end of the 17th – beginning of the 18th century.

In 1710 the church was renovated and decorated by the artists daskal Hristo and Stoyo. Similar to the construction of the building, its decoration was carried out in two stages. The murals in the altar of the shrine and in the east part of the gallery were painted during the first stage, whereas the shrine and the east part of the narthex were decorated during the second (1709 -1710).

In 1973 the Italian restorer Sergio Pigazzini detached entirely the murals with the intention to return them back to their original places after the building strengthening works were over. The mural paintings remained detached for 39 years.

In the period 1976-1986 rescue restoration works were conducted, but the prolonged stay and inadequate storage conditions caused significant damage to the murals.

In 2012,  almost all mural fragments were restored and successfully returned to their original places on the church's walls. Тhis was а challenging restoration, carried out on a highly professional level by the team of The Centre for Restoration of Artworks Ltd. (CRA), a Sofia-based organization specializing in the conservation and restoration of cultural property.