Description of the attraction
The Church of St. Panteleimon or, as it is also called, Boyana Church is a small but nevertheless very curious temple located in Boyana, a suburb of the capital of Bulgaria, not far from the foot of Vitosha Mountain. This building was built in several stages: the eastern part (the oldest) appeared no later than the X-XI centuries. and was a small chapel. In the 13th century, at the direction of Tsar Kaloyan, a two-storey temple was added to it, and a few more centuries later, in the 20th century, a two-storey western vestibule was added to the architectural complex.
The Church of St. Panteleimon is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, there are unique in their artistic qualities frescoes, which, according to many researchers, are one of the best examples of the fine art of the Middle Ages. Wall paintings of two periods have survived here: XI-XII centuries. and 1259. The early frescoes were executed in the dryish manner (however, traditional for that time) of the Byzantine style and are accompanied by inscriptions in Greek. But the frescoes of the second period seem to be more interesting: in 1259 they were painted on the walls right on top of the old ones, and are a generally recognized masterpiece of world painting.
In total, almost ninety scenes from Holy Scripture are depicted on the walls of the Church of St. Panteleimon. The figure of Jesus Christ is very common (more than 20 times). Here we see him at different ages and different life situations, which symbolizes his difficult path and the obstacles that he overcame in order to bring people love and forgiveness. Also on the walls of the church you can see images of St. Panteleimon, St. Nicholas (the temple was dedicated to him for some time), the Virgin Mary, the patron saint of the church, Tsar Kaloyan and his wife Desislava.
The uniqueness of the frescoes of this church lies in the fact that they were painted in the style of sharp-character painting. All characters are highly individualized and among hundreds of faces you will not find a single repetitive one: each image expresses its own character and emotions. These frescoes also gravitate towards realism in depicting reality: people of different social strata are painted here in clothes and surrounded by objects that are traditional for their status and the time in which they lived.
