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Boyana Church
Explore more nearby places in Bulgaria, Sofia

The pantheon of the Bulgarian Renaissance

At the very foot of the Vitosha Mountain, in the beautiful Boyana district of Sofia, stands one of the most powerful symbols of Bulgarian history and culture -the church of St.St. Nicholas and Panteleimon famously referred to as The Boyana Church.The Boyana Church is unparalleled with its diversity, vivid explication, and heartfelt psychological interpretation of the set of well-preserved interior images. It is established in a remarkable natural region, making a romantic blend of natural and cultural tourism for locals and travelers from all over the continent. Here is all you need to know about the history, the essence, and the unique atmosphere of this historical Bulgarian relic.

Getting to the Boyana Church

The Boyana Church is readily accessible for everyone since it is practically a part of the Sofia city infrastructure. Visitors are welcome to arrive by using their private vehicle, bike, or motorcycle, as well as the public transportation buses number 64 and number 107.Anyway, due to the dynamic visitor engagement, we recommend that you book your visit to the site in advance. Upon entering, guests and groups with a prior visit request are being let in first. Reservation requests are accepted from Monday to Friday from 10 AM to 5 PM.

A brief history of the Boyana Church

Boyana Church is an extraordinary Medieval temple and one of Bulgaria’s historical symbols, listed as a cultural monument in the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List back in 1979.There are several construction stages, captured in the development of the Boyana temple. The oldest one among them dates back to the 10th and 11th centuries -it is a small cross-domed church, refurbished once again later in the 12th century. In the 13th century, a narthex was added to the western facade of the old church, as well as a small chapel above it. In the middle of the 19th century, a two-story entryway, “St. Nicholas and St. Panteleimon”, was built onto the original building.The Boyana Church remained a fully-functioning religious temple until 1954 when an extensive restoration process began to preserve its priceless interior coverings. At the beginning of the 21st century, the temple became a branch of the National History Museum of Bulgaria.

The historical and cultural importance of the temple

The one very unique and invaluable specific of the Boyana Church is its layered frescoes. Their first layer dates back to the 11th century and the second one, which is also the most valuable back to the 13th century. There are also individual frescoes from the 14th, 16th, and 17th centuries, as well as from the very end of the 19th. 

The images from the second layer only are 240 in number. They are world-famous for depicting individuality and psychologism, more characteristic of Renaissance than the Medieval art, part of which they were supposed to be. The various frescoes in the Boyana Church represent angels, evangelists, Virgin Mary, the archangels, different warriors, and numerous saints. One of the most famous images even impersonates Christ himself in the image of an older man.

Guided tours in different languages are available all-year-round. The expert guides will lead you through the vibrant history of the images and explain their deeper meaning within the temple’s local historical context. 

Planning your visit to the Boyana Church

As we already mentioned, booking your tour around the Boyana Church is highly recommended, since the temple is not enormously big, unlike the interest towards it.

Students are welcome to enter at a symbolic price of 2 leva (which equals 1 Euro), while entry is free of charge for people with specific needs and attendants and preschool children. Entering the temple is free for everyone every last Monday of the month after 15:00.

Need another hint? Combining your visit to the Boyana Church with a following laidback hike around the Vitosha Mountain is always a valuable experience.

ul. "Boyansko ezero" 3, 1616 Bojana, Sofia, Bulgaria

Where is it on the Map?

ul. "Boyansko ezero" 3, 1616 Bojana, Sofia, Bulgaria

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Explore more nearby places in Bulgaria, Sofia
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The pantheon of the Bulgarian Renaissance

At the very foot of the Vitosha Mountain, in the beautiful Boyana district of Sofia, stands one of the most powerful symbols of Bulgarian history and culture -the church of St.St. Nicholas and Panteleimon famously referred to as The Boyana Church.The Boyana Church is unparalleled with its diversity, vivid explication, and heartfelt psychological interpretation of the set of well-preserved interior images. It is established in a remarkable natural region, making a romantic blend of natural and cultural tourism for locals and travelers from all over the continent. Here is all you need to know about the history, the essence, and the unique atmosphere of this historical Bulgarian relic.

Getting to the Boyana Church

The Boyana Church is readily accessible for everyone since it is practically a part of the Sofia city infrastructure. Visitors are welcome to arrive by using their private vehicle, bike, or motorcycle, as well as the public transportation buses number 64 and number 107.Anyway, due to the dynamic visitor engagement, we recommend that you book your visit to the site in advance. Upon entering, guests and groups with a prior visit request are being let in first. Reservation requests are accepted from Monday to Friday from 10 AM to 5 PM.

A brief history of the Boyana Church

Boyana Church is an extraordinary Medieval temple and one of Bulgaria’s historical symbols, listed as a cultural monument in the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List back in 1979.There are several construction stages, captured in the development of the Boyana temple. The oldest one among them dates back to the 10th and 11th centuries -it is a small cross-domed church, refurbished once again later in the 12th century. In the 13th century, a narthex was added to the western facade of the old church, as well as a small chapel above it. In the middle of the 19th century, a two-story entryway, “St. Nicholas and St. Panteleimon”, was built onto the original building.The Boyana Church remained a fully-functioning religious temple until 1954 when an extensive restoration process began to preserve its priceless interior coverings. At the beginning of the 21st century, the temple became a branch of the National History Museum of Bulgaria.

The historical and cultural importance of the temple

The one very unique and invaluable specific of the Boyana Church is its layered frescoes. Their first layer dates back to the 11th century and the second one, which is also the most valuable back to the 13th century. There are also individual frescoes from the 14th, 16th, and 17th centuries, as well as from the very end of the 19th. 

The images from the second layer only are 240 in number. They are world-famous for depicting individuality and psychologism, more characteristic of Renaissance than the Medieval art, part of which they were supposed to be. The various frescoes in the Boyana Church represent angels, evangelists, Virgin Mary, the archangels, different warriors, and numerous saints. One of the most famous images even impersonates Christ himself in the image of an older man.

Guided tours in different languages are available all-year-round. The expert guides will lead you through the vibrant history of the images and explain their deeper meaning within the temple’s local historical context. 

Planning your visit to the Boyana Church

As we already mentioned, booking your tour around the Boyana Church is highly recommended, since the temple is not enormously big, unlike the interest towards it.

Students are welcome to enter at a symbolic price of 2 leva (which equals 1 Euro), while entry is free of charge for people with specific needs and attendants and preschool children. Entering the temple is free for everyone every last Monday of the month after 15:00.

Need another hint? Combining your visit to the Boyana Church with a following laidback hike around the Vitosha Mountain is always a valuable experience.

ul. "Boyansko ezero" 3, 1616 Bojana, Sofia, Bulgaria

Where is it on the Map?

ul. "Boyansko ezero" 3, 1616 Bojana, Sofia, Bulgaria

Explore more places in Europe

See more in Can't retrieve term. In case if you changed taxonomy slug for this term, please update widget settings to use new taxonomy slug.
Explore more nearby places in Bulgaria, Sofia

The pantheon of the Bulgarian Renaissance

At the very foot of the Vitosha Mountain, in the beautiful Boyana district of Sofia, stands one of the most powerful symbols of Bulgarian history and culture -the church of St.St. Nicholas and Panteleimon famously referred to as The Boyana Church.The Boyana Church is unparalleled with its diversity, vivid explication, and heartfelt psychological interpretation of the set of well-preserved interior images. It is established in a remarkable natural region, making a romantic blend of natural and cultural tourism for locals and travelers from all over the continent. Here is all you need to know about the history, the essence, and the unique atmosphere of this historical Bulgarian relic.

Getting to the Boyana Church

The Boyana Church is readily accessible for everyone since it is practically a part of the Sofia city infrastructure. Visitors are welcome to arrive by using their private vehicle, bike, or motorcycle, as well as the public transportation buses number 64 and number 107.Anyway, due to the dynamic visitor engagement, we recommend that you book your visit to the site in advance. Upon entering, guests and groups with a prior visit request are being let in first. Reservation requests are accepted from Monday to Friday from 10 AM to 5 PM.

A brief history of the Boyana Church

Boyana Church is an extraordinary Medieval temple and one of Bulgaria’s historical symbols, listed as a cultural monument in the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List back in 1979.There are several construction stages, captured in the development of the Boyana temple. The oldest one among them dates back to the 10th and 11th centuries -it is a small cross-domed church, refurbished once again later in the 12th century. In the 13th century, a narthex was added to the western facade of the old church, as well as a small chapel above it. In the middle of the 19th century, a two-story entryway, “St. Nicholas and St. Panteleimon”, was built onto the original building.The Boyana Church remained a fully-functioning religious temple until 1954 when an extensive restoration process began to preserve its priceless interior coverings. At the beginning of the 21st century, the temple became a branch of the National History Museum of Bulgaria.

The historical and cultural importance of the temple

The one very unique and invaluable specific of the Boyana Church is its layered frescoes. Their first layer dates back to the 11th century and the second one, which is also the most valuable back to the 13th century. There are also individual frescoes from the 14th, 16th, and 17th centuries, as well as from the very end of the 19th. 

The images from the second layer only are 240 in number. They are world-famous for depicting individuality and psychologism, more characteristic of Renaissance than the Medieval art, part of which they were supposed to be. The various frescoes in the Boyana Church represent angels, evangelists, Virgin Mary, the archangels, different warriors, and numerous saints. One of the most famous images even impersonates Christ himself in the image of an older man.

Guided tours in different languages are available all-year-round. The expert guides will lead you through the vibrant history of the images and explain their deeper meaning within the temple’s local historical context. 

Planning your visit to the Boyana Church

As we already mentioned, booking your tour around the Boyana Church is highly recommended, since the temple is not enormously big, unlike the interest towards it.

Students are welcome to enter at a symbolic price of 2 leva (which equals 1 Euro), while entry is free of charge for people with specific needs and attendants and preschool children. Entering the temple is free for everyone every last Monday of the month after 15:00.

Need another hint? Combining your visit to the Boyana Church with a following laidback hike around the Vitosha Mountain is always a valuable experience.

ul. "Boyansko ezero" 3, 1616 Bojana, Sofia, Bulgaria

Where is it on the Map?

ul. "Boyansko ezero" 3, 1616 Bojana, Sofia, Bulgaria

Explore more places in Europe

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