Church of Saints Archangels Michael and Gabriel (Arbanasi)

Overview

The church is one of the most beautiful churches, built in the village of Arbanasi in XVII-XVIII c. It is located in the southern part of the Arbanasi Village. The oldest part of the church was built in the XVIIth century. The recent archeological studies show that it was built on the foundation of an older church dating from the thirteenth and fourteenth. There is evidence that from the XVIIIth century to the XIXth century, the church was a monastery. According to its plan, it is with an altar, naos, narthex, and gallery.

There is a small chapel dedicated to St. Paraskeva. The church is very modest from the outside but it impresses with the splendid wall paintings. Very particular are the images of the females- saints painted against the starry sky. The wood-carved iconostasis was made by painters from the Art School in Tryavna.

A feature of the artistic decoration of the church is the architectural forms and decorative elements that harmonize with other paintings. Thus, organic nature is achieved, between architecture and mural painting – a distinctive sign of medieval architecture in the Orthodox churches.