Bachkovo Monastery
The monastery is known and appreciated for the unique combination of Byzantine, Georgian and Bulgarian culture, united by the common faith.[3] During the time of the Second Bulgarian Empire, Bachkovo Monastery was patronized by Tsar Ivan Alexander, which is evidenced by an image of him on the arches of the ossuary's narthex.Although the monastery survived the first waves of Turkish invasion in Bulgarian lands, it was then looted and destroyed, but restored near the end of the 15th century.The refectory, whose mural paintings by an anonymous painter bear a significant artistic value, was reconstructed in 1601 and the Church of Mary, still preserved today, was finished in 1604.The facade is attractively diversified with 8 blind niches and a succession of layers of brick and stone, joined with mortar.The building has survived to this day in its original structure of a three- aisled, cruciform domed basilica with three pentagonal apses.The murals in the spacious narthex were painted in 1643 and depict a life-size portraits of Georgi and his son Constantine, who were high-ranking notables in Istanbul and donors to the church.[5] The museum of the monastery has a rich exhibition of church plate, icons, books, the sword of Friedrich Barbarossa, a sultan's firman from 1452, a wood-carved cross with miniatures.A fresco of the Doomsday, painted by Zahari Zograf in 1850, is retained in the Saint Nicholas Church and is thought of as one of the most interesting works of art of the Bulgarian National Revival.Under the influence of different atmospheric conditions like rain, snow, fog, cold, wind, the biggest scenic mural on the Balkan peninsula has preserved the freshness of its paint.
Gregory PakourianosBachkovoPlovdiv ProvinceCoordinatesDormition of the TheotokosBulgarianGeorgianEastern OrthodoxBulgariaChepelare RiverAsenovgradHoly SynodBulgarian Orthodox ChurchByzantineArmenianSecond Bulgarian EmpireIvan AlexandernarthexTarnovo Literary SchoolPatriarch EuthymiusPatriarch Cyrildonor portraitBulgarian tsarossuaryblind nichesZahari ZografjujubeFriedrich BarbarossafirmanDoomsdayBulgarian National RevivalThe HistorianElizabeth KostovaWayback MachineStauropegicRila MonasteryTroyan MonasteryTransfiguration MonasteryAbkhaziaAba-AtaAmbaraAkhali Atoni (Simeon)Akhali Atoni MonasteryBichvintaChkhortoliChuburkhinjiDrandaGantiadiGhumurishiKvitouliLashkendariLidzavaLikhniMarmariskariMegobrobaMtiskaltaMugudzirkhvaNabakeviNakhshiriConstantineOtkharaPichoriPitchu-OkhvameSakeniAdjaraKvirikeSkhaltaJumatiLikhauriShemokmediImeretiBagratiDarkvetiEkhveviGelatiJruchiKatskhiKatskhis SvetiMghvimeviMotsametaSavaneTabakiniKakhetiAlaverdiBochormaChabukauriCheremiDartloDavid GarejaDavid Gareja LavraDolochopiDzveli GavaziMonasteryKhirsaKvelatsmindaKveteraMataniNatlismtsemeliNekresiNinotsmindaSanagireShuamta (Old)VachnadzianiKvemo KartliAbeliaBolnisi SioniDmanisi SioniGudarekhiKazretiManglisiMartqopiPirghebuliPitaretiSamshvilde SioniShavnabadaTserakviTsughrughasheniMtskheta-MtianetiAnanuriGergetiKoroghoLomisaSamtavroShio-MgvimeSvetitskhoveliTelovani