Description of the attraction
The Church of St. Ivan is a medieval church located in an area called Dolni Manastir, one kilometer from the village of Pastukh in the Kyustendil region. The structure is a one-nave building with a semi-cylindrical apse, the dimensions of which are 7.5 meters in length and 3.5 meters in width. In general, the architecture of the temple is typical for the XV-XVII centuries - the historical period to which the construction of the church belongs. However, the presence of an open vestibule (an annex at the entrance to the temple) made this building unique for all of Western Bulgaria in those years: the entrance to the church is made in the form of a wide arch without doors, and in the walls on either side of it there are two large arched openings.
The appearance of the temple makes it interesting for the large number of materials used during the construction. Basically, these are multi-colored river stones fastened with plaster - gray, beige, brown, blue, green, etc. However, in order to achieve the greatest decorative effect, hewn red bricks were also skillfully used: they are laid in rows along the edges of three arches. All this makes the small church building bright and interesting.
In the 16th century, when the temple was built, the walls and ceiling inside it were decorated with frescoes, but due to unfavorable climatic conditions, as well as lack of proper care, they have not survived to this day. In the 50s of the last century, some fragments of the murals could be seen in the altar part. Thanks to the efforts of Professor Asen Vasiliev, descriptions of these images have been preserved. Apparently, the church was painted by an experienced master, whose name remains unknown. Unfortunately, his rich heritage is forever lost to Bulgarian art. All the murals that adorn the Church of St. Ivan today are the result of the work of modern authors, carried out during the restoration.
In the 90s of the XX century, during the renovation work, the original appearance of the temple was restored. The only exception was the roof - the semi-cylindrical stone roof was replaced by a wooden one covered with tiles.
The church, which is an architectural monument of national importance, was consecrated in honor of St. Ivan Rila the Wonderworker - one of the most famous saints in Bulgaria, the patron saint of the Bulgarian people.
