Recommended cultural monuments in Bulgaria
Bulgaria is one of the oldest civilized countries in Europe with a long history. There are many historical relics across the country, such as monuments from Thrace, Roman and Byzantine periods, ancient town museums, numerous monasteries, ancient castles, various ancient churches, and some attractions are located in the city, such as buildings left over from Roman culture. Since the 1980s, it has attracted the interest of tourists from all over the world.
The ancient city of Nessebar is located on a peninsula made of rocks along the Black Sea coast. More than 3000 years ago, it was originally a Thracian settlement. Most of the city's ruins date back to ancient Greece, including the Acropolis, the Temple of Apollo, the square and the remaining wall of the fortress built by the Thracians. Other important monuments include the ancient church of Stara Mitropolia Basilica, built during the Middle Ages, and some fortresses, which was then one of the main Byzantine towns on the western coast of the Black Sea.
Nessebar is now a health resort with the famous "Sunny Beach". There are many historical monuments in the city. The more than 10 churches preserved here represent almost every period of Christian civilization. From the oldest church built in the fifth century AD to the church at the end of the last century, there are outstanding buildings in each generation, so it is called "Natural Museum". Most of them were built in the 13th and 14th centuries. The Church of St. John Aligetus is the most exquisite and well preserved. The architectural craftsmanship of these churches is original, with small pieces of tuff and several rows of bricks intertwined and overlapped, forming an unusual decorative pattern.
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is located in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It is the main church of the Bulgarian bishop. It was founded between 1904 and 1912 and named after Russian Tsar Alexander II, mainly to commemorate the Russian army's "liberation" of Bulgaria during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877 - 1878.
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral belongs to the cathedral of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. It covers an area of 3170 square meters and can accommodate 10,000 people at the same time. It is the largest Eastern Orthodox church in the world and the second largest church in the Balkans. The church adopts the neo-Byzantine architectural style as a whole and is laid out in Basilica (a form of public building in ancient Rome). It is characterized by a rectangular plan with a colonnade on the outside, the main entrance is on the long side, and ear rooms on the short side. The roof is made of strip arches). Its gilded dome is 45 meters high and the bell tower is 53 meters high. It can be seen from all over Sofia.
In addition, there are 12 clocks with a total weight of 23 tons in the church, the heaviest of which is 12 tons and the lightest is 10 kilograms. The main hall is decorated with various colors of Italian marble, Brazilian onyx, white marble and other luxurious materials. The building is luxurious and exquisite, and it is Sofia's most famous attraction and one of the most beautiful churches in the world.
Sofia Russian Church The official name of the Russian Church is St. Nicholas Miracle Church. It is a Russian Orthodox church located in the center of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It is the local religious center and is now a well-known local attraction.
The Russian church was built on the original site of the Saray Mosque, which was destroyed after the liberation of Bulgaria in 1882. It served as the official church of the Russian Embassy in Bulgaria and was named after Nicholas II, the then Russian monarch. Construction began in 1907 and was completed in 1914. The church was designed by Russian architect Mikhail Preobrazhenski, and its decoration is based on the decorative characteristics of Russian churches in the 17th century; during its construction, it was supervised by A.Smirnov, who supervised the Alexander Nevsky Church.
The five domes at the top of the church are all wrapped in pure gold. The church bell was donated by Nicholas II, the exterior is decorated with colorful tiles, and the interior murals were completed by a team of artists. The basement on the first floor of the Russian church holds the relics of Holy Bishop Seraphim. Many people come to visit the tomb of the Archbishop who died in 1950 and pray piously that their wishes can be realized.
Boyana Church Boyana Church is known as the "Pearl in the Crown of Sofia" and is a famous Orthodox church in Bulgaria. It is located about 8000 meters south of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, in Boyana Village in the southern suburbs of Sofia on the foothills of Vitosha.
Bojana Church consists of three churches, which, despite their different dates and styles, form a harmonious architectural whole. The three churches are all in a positive cross shape in plan, with round roofs built on them, and the exterior is richly decorated. Two of the oldest churches are also decorated with ceramic sheets.
The most famous thing about Boyana Church is its murals, among which "The Last Supper" and icon paintings are the most famous. The facial expressions of the characters in the murals, as well as the facial expressions of the masses, Kaloyan and members of the royal family, are very vivid. They are no longer traditional and rigid idols, but have personality and distinctive characters, with obvious realism, and Very close to local folk art, it is the most outstanding achievement of medieval Bulgarian art. Built on the ruins left by foreign invaders, this church was part of the royal palace in the Middle Ages and is now a symbol of Bulgaria's independence, culture and prosperity.
Ivanovo Cave Church Ivanovo Cave Church is a famous monument in Bulgaria. It is located in Ivanovo Village near the city of Russe in northeastern Bulgaria. It is a number of large and small churches built along the Lom River. This huge complex was built in the early 12th century. The project was initially initiated by the monk Joasan, who later became Bulgaria's first Catholic archbishop; the project was fully completed in 1396.
In the past, these large and small cave churches were connected by corridors and wooden arcades. Later, due to landslides and landslides, some corridors and arcades were damaged. However, the fine stone carvings in the church, the large niches vertical or horizontal, and the verandas extending in all directions inside the church all show the level of development of ancient architecture. Almost all Ivanovo Cave churches are painted with landscape or character murals for decoration. The murals reflect the characteristics of ancient Greek art, of which the murals of Tsakvata Church are the most famous.
The murals of Tsakvata Church are the only remaining examples of art at the time. They demonstrate the existence of Slavic schools in Byzantine art in the 13th century and greatly increase the popularity of the Tarnovo School. These murals are not only a synthesis of many themes, but also a summary of the composition styles and typical and ancient Greek patterns inherent in the Byzantine tradition. The murals are unique in the outline of lines, the symmetry of the picture, and the proportion of the human body. They are a masterpiece of realism and an orphan of medieval murals.
Thracian tomb Kazanlik The Thracian tomb was discovered in 1944. The age of these tombs dates from the ancient Greek period and ended around the 4th century BC. It consists of three brick houses, with tunnels and tombs decorated with murals depicting a unique funeral banquet. The murals were painted by unknown painters. The main colors are red, black, white and green. The murals express the painter's true talent for relative freedom under the influence of Greek culture.
The tomb of Thrace is well preserved. Under a large raised tomb, there is a rectangular vestibule. From the vestibule, behind a narrow stone passage is a vaulted corridor. At the end of the corridor is the tomb, which houses the Prince and his wife of Thrace. The diameter of the tomb is 2.65 meters, the height of the roof is 3.25 meters, the roof is in the shape of a bell jar, and the corridor and tomb are all made of bricks. This is a typical example of the architectural art of Thrace at that time.
There are exquisite colored murals on the tomb walls, indicating that Greek art was widely spread among the Thracian aristocrats at that time. But the strange thing is that apart from the murals of this tomb, there is nothing left in other Thracian tombs. The main mural is a funeral banquet picture, located at the bottom of the tomb. The center of the picture is the prince and his wife, with women standing and sitting on the left and right; and on both sides are wine holders, musicians, horse leaders, maids, carriages, etc. This picture of parents, relatives and others reluctantly bidding farewell to the dead prince and couple is sad and moving, with lifelike characters. It is extremely exquisite and has preserved important information for understanding the life and customs of the Thracian royal family at that time.
Thracian tomb The Thracian tomb in Svehtari is located in Razgrad, Bulgaria, where the Thracian priest king is buried. After the body of the Divine Priest King was buried, people blocked the entrance of the tomb with yellow-white limestone and piled it with soil to build a small mound about 12 meters high.
The sarcophagus in the cemetery is carefully carved, and the priest king and princess are buried inside. The age of the Divine Priest King is about 30 years old, and the age of the Princess Princess is about 20 years old. The Princess Princess committed suicide with a sword. There were also horses and other items buried with the funerary objects. The tomb path of the ancient tomb is narrow and long, and the tomb at the end has a semicircular dome. There are many statues in the tomb, including 10 statues of women. Each statue is 1.2 meters high. Some are gentle and beautiful, some are sinister, some are full of sadness, and have different expressions.
The murals in the tomb excellently depict the history of the kingdom. The priest king on the mural is lifelike. The walls and stones inside the tomb are firmly fixed with metal hooks, and even thin blades cannot be inserted into the gaps between the stones.