Largest Early Christian Basilica in Rhodope Mountains Discovered in Rock City Perperikon in Southern Bulgaria
What appears to have been the largest Early Christian temple in the Rhodope Mountains in Southern Bulgaria has been discovered by archaeologists in the prehistoric, ancient, and medieval rock city of Perperikon (also known as Perperik or Perperek).
Archaeologists Show Early Ottoman Coins Carried by Turkish Soldier during Late 14th Century Attack on Bulgaria’s Targovishte
Six early Ottoman silver coins which were discovered together with the skeleton of a Turkish soldier killed in an attack of the Bulgarian fortress Kosovo (ancient Missionis / Krum’s Fortress), today’s city of Targovishte, have been showcased by archaeologists.
Archaeologists to Study Unexplored Fortress Walls of Ancient Missionis near Bulgaria’s Targovishte
The 2016 summer excavations of the Early Byzantine and medieval Bulgarian city of Missionis located near Targovishte in Northeast Bulgaria, which was known as Krum’s Fortress and Kosovo in the Middle Ages, are going to provide for the further study…
Archaeologists Discover Grave of Medieval Bulgarian Princess ‘Built Into’ Foundations of Stone Church near Botevgrad
The grave of a female aristocrat from the Shishman Dynasty which ruled the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396) in its last few decades before it was conquered by the Ottoman Turks has been discovered during the excavations of the old church…
Bulgaria’s Black Sea Resort Sozopol Claims St. Ivan Island Known for Discovery of St. John the Baptist Relics
The town of Sozopol on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, the modern-day successor of ancient Apollonia Pontica (Sozopolis), has claimed the ownership of the St. Ivan (St. John) Island known for its Early Christian and Early Byzantine monastery where relics of…
Mural Portrairs of Tsars from Second Bulgarian Empire Identified in Largest Study of Frescoes from Medieval Capital Tarnovgrad (Veliko Tarnovo)
Previously unkown mural portraits of Tsar Ivan Asen II (r 1218-1241), one of his wifes, and three other medieval Bulgarian rulers from the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396) have been identified in the most comprehensive study to date of the frescoes…
Bulgaria Marks 1151 Years since Adoption of Christianity as Official Religion by First Bulgarian Empire
Bulgaria and Bulgarian Orthodox Christians have celebrated the 1151st anniversary since the formal adoption of Christianity as the official state religion in 865 AD under the leadership of St. Knyaz Boris I Mihail (r. 852-889; 893 AD) during the First…
‘Christian Art from Bulgaria’ Exhibit Unveiled in Austria’s Klosterneuburg Monastery by National Museum of Archaeology in Sofia
The famous Klosterneuburg Monastery in Austria has hosted an exhibition entitled “Gloss of the East: Christian Art from Bulgaria” displaying artifacts from the collection of the National Institute and Museum of Archaeology in Sofia.
Newly Opened Early Christian Archaeological Park in Bulgaria’s Sandanski ‘Meeting Expectations’ as Top Cultural Attraction
The Archaeological Park of Early Christian buildings from the Roman city Parthicopolis which was opened recently in the southwestern Bulgarian town of Sandanski in a long-anticipated and long-delayed event has met the expectations for emerging as a top cultural attraction,…
Bulgaria’s Sandanski Opens Long Anticipated Early Christian Archaeological Park of Ancient Parthicopolis
The long-anticipated and long-delayed opening of an Archaeological Park of newly restored Early Christian buildings from the Roman city Parthicopolis in the southwestern Bulgarian town of Sandanski has finally materialized.
Bulgaria’s Botevgrad to Excavate Archaeological Site from the 6th Century AD Famous for Old Stone Church
An archaeological site from the 5th-6th century AD which is famous for harboring an old stone church is to be excavated near the town of Trudovets, Botevgrad Municipality, in Northwest Bulgaria.
Medieval Reliquary Discovered at Christian Monastery Looted by Treasure Hunters ahead of Archaeological Excavations
A medieval reliquary and a piece of a bronze cross have been found at the ruins of a monastery from the 11th-12th century located near the town of Dobromirtsi in Bulgaria’s southernmost municipality Kirkovo.
Bulgaria’s Kirkovo to Excavate Medieval Christian Monastery in Search of Grave of Last Patriarch of Second Bulgarian Empire
Kirkovo, Bulgaria’s southernmost municipality bordering Greece, and located some 20 km north of the Aegean coast, is going to restart the archaeological excavations of a medieval Christian monastery in search of the grave of St. Patriarch Evtimiy (Euthymius) of Tarnovo…
Bulgaria’s Montana to Excavate Early Christian Syrian-Type Basilica from Ancient Roman City Montanesium in Joint Project with Serbia
The northwestern Bulgarian city of Montana, the modern-day successor of the Ancient Roman city and fortress of Montanesium, is going to excavate and restore partly a 4th century Early Christian basilica with Syrian-type architecture as part of a joint cultural…
St. John the Baptist Relics Ended Up in Bulgaria’s Sozopol to Counterbalance Huge Ancient Apollo Statue and Temple, Archaeologist Hypothesizes
The establishment of an Early Christian monastery dedicated to St. John the Baptist with the saint’s relics in Bulgaria’s Black Sea resort town of Sozopol (known as Apollonia Pontica in ancient times) may have been motivated by the existence of…
Early Christian Archaeological Park in Bulgaria’s Sandanski Remains Unopened for 4 Months for Mysterious Bureaucratic Reasons
The long-anticipated opening of an Archaeological Park of newly restored Early Christian buildings from the Roman city Parthicopolis in the southwestern Bulgarian town of Sandanski has failed to materialize four months after the restorations were completed.
Medieval Asen’s Fortress in Bulgaria’s Asenovgrad Saw Fewer Tourists in 2015 Because of Collapsed Mountain Road
One of Bulgaria’s famous medieval landmarks, Asen’s Fortress (Asenova Krepost) in the southern town of Asenovgrad, saw a decline in the number of visitors it had in 2015, apparently because it has become less accessible after the road leading up…
Bulgaria’s National Museum of History, Boyana Church Saw 280,000 Visitors in 2015
Bulgaria’s National Museum of History in Sofia and the several archaeological, cultural, and historical monuments that it manages saw almost 278,949 visitors in 2015, the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture has announced.
Bulgaria’s Varna to Turn Major 9th Century Monastery with Scriptorium from First Bulgarian Empire into Cultural Tourism Site
Bulgaria’s Black Sea city of Varna has taken the first step to restore and promote as a cultural tourism site what apparently was one of the largest monasteries in the First Bulgarian Empire (632/680-1018 AD) known as the Knyazheski (Royal)…
Bureaucratic Hurdle Causes Major Delay in Opening of Early Christian Archaeological Park in Bulgaria’s Sandanski
A bureaucratic problem has delayed by more than two months the long-anticipated opening of an Archaeological Park of newly restored Early Christian buildings from the Roman city Parthicopolis in the southwestern Bulgarian town of Sandanski.
Renowned Bulgarian Archaeologist Prof. Totyu Totev Has Passed Away at 85
Renowned Bulgarian archaeologist Prof. Totyu Totev, an expert in Christian and medieval archaeology, has passed away at the age of 85.
Bulgaria’s Cabinet Grants Varna Municipality Management Rights for 6 Major Archaeological Sites to Promote Cultural Tourism
Bulgaria’s Council of Ministers has granted the Black Sea Varna Municipality management rights for a total of six emblematic archaeological sites, some of them world-known, as a measure for boosting the development of cultural tourism.
Newly Found Basilica Sheds Light on Unknown Byzantine City, Reason Why Veliko Tarnovo Was Made Capital of Second Bulgarian Empire
The Early Byzantine basilica which was discovered recently in the city of Veliko Tarnovo in Northern Bulgaria may prove the key to the exploration of what was an unknown but major Byzantine city, and to answering the question why Veliko…
Tourists Flock to Pre-Opening of Archaeological Park of Early Christian Buildings from Roman City Parthicopolis in Bulgaria’s Sandanski
A large number of tourists have visited the soon-to-be-opened Archaeological Park of newly restored Early Christian buildings from the Roman city Parthicopolis in the southwestern Bulgarian town of Sandanski during its Pre-Opening events on October 16-18, 2015.
Skeletons Found in Early Christian Tomb on St. Ivan Island off Bulgaria’s Sozopol Belonged to Syrian Monks Who Brought St. John the Baptist’s Relics
The two human skeletons discovered recently in an Early Christian tomb on the St. Ivan (St. John) Island in the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgarian resort Sozopol most probably belonged to Syrian monks who brought with them the…
Archaeologist Discovers Early Byzantine Basilica in ‘Frankish Quarter’ of Medieval Bulgarian Capital Tarnovgrad (Veliko Tarnovo)
An Early Byzantine Christian basilica has been discovered during archaeological excavations the city of Veliko Tarnovo in Northern Bulgaria, southeast of the fortress wall of the Tsarevets Hill Fortress, in the so called Frenkhisar, or the “Frankish Quarter”, of Tarnovgrad,…
Archaeology Museum in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv Shows for the First Time Newly Restored Early Christian Tomb with Murals of Jesus Christ’s Miracles
A 4th century AD Early Christian Roman tomb with stunning biblical murals depicting the miracles of Jesus Christ, which was found by accident in the southern Bulgarian city of Plovdiv in 2012, has now been restored and shown to the…
Alleged Giant Phallus from Hermes Statue Found in Bulgaria’s Orehovo as Locals Rally to Defend Suspected Ancient Thracian Shrine
A find that is said to be a giant phallus which was part of a statue of god Hermes has been found at the mountain peak known as Koloto near the town of Orehovo, Chepelare Municipality, in Southern Bulgaria, which…
Archaeologists Unearth Coins, Iron Artifacts, Ceramics at Medieval Bulgarian Fortress Cherven
A wide range of archaeological artifacts have been discovered by the archaeologists who have carried out brief excavations in Cherven, one of the major urban, religious, and economic centers of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396 AD).
Locals in Bulgaria’s Orehovo Raise Alarm over Municipal Construction Project on Top of Alleged Ancient Thracian Mound, Shrine
Local residents of the town of Orehovo, Chepelare Municipality, in the Rhodope Mountains in Southern Bulgaria have launched protests against a municipal project for the construction of a fire safety tower which they believe lies on top of an Ancient…
Bulgaria’s Sandanski to Open Archaeological Park of Newly Restored Early Christian Buildings from Roman City Parthicopolis
The southwestern Bulgarian town of Sandanski is going to open an archaeological park of restored Early Christian historical monuments form the Ancient Roman and Early Byzantine city of Parthicopolis around September 10, 2015, Sandanski Municipality has announced. The Early Christian…
Archaeologists Find Silver Cross in Medieval Christian Necropolis in Trapesitsa Hill Fortress in Bulgaria’s Veliko Tarnovo
A silver cross with a crucifixion image from the Late Middle Ages has been discovered by the archaeologists excavating a Christian necropolis on the Trapesitsa Hill, one of the two main citadels, together with the Tsarevets Hill Fortress, of Tarnovgrad,…
Archaeologists Find Maimed Figurine of Roman God Mars in Ancient City Missionis near Bulgaria’s Targovishte
A mutilated figurine of Ancient Roman god Mars has been found by archaeologists during the excavations of the Early Byzantine and medieval Bulgarian city of Missionis, also known as Krum’s Fortress, whose ruins are located near today’s northeastern city of…
Archaeologist Uncovers 13th Century Monastery Dining Room in Bulgaria’s Veliko Tarnovo
New archaeological structures – including what is believed to have been a monastery dining room – have been unearthed in the renewed excavations of a 13th century monastery in Tarnovgrad, the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396 AD), in…
Bulgarian Archaeologists Show Lead Cross Reliquary, Lead Icon Found in Medieval City Missionis (Krum’s Fortress)
A lead cross, which is also a reliquary, found during the excavations of the Early Byzantine and medieval Bulgarian city of Missionis, also known as Krum’s Fortress, whose ruins are located near today’s northeastern city of Targovishte, has been presented…
