Boyana Church "St. Nicholas and St. Panteleimon"

Sofia 1616, Boyansko Ezero St. No. 3, for reservations: +359 0879 456 635, e-mail: boyanachurch@abv.bg

Boyana Church "St. Nicholas and St. Panteleimon", known for its medieval frescoes, was included in 1979 in the list of world cultural heritage under the protection of UNESCO.

There are several construction stages in the Boyan temple. In the 1954th - XNUMXth centuries, a small cross-domed church was built, renovated in the XNUMXth century. In the XNUMXth century, a porch was added to the western facade of the old church, and above it - a small chapel. In the middle of the XNUMXth century, a two-story vestibule "St. Nicholas and St. Panteleimon". The church was an active temple until XNUMX.
A founder's inscription in Bulgarian in the vestibule of the church indicates the year of its complete inscription (1259), the names of the donors and the kinship of the local feudal founder with the Bulgarian tsar and the Serbian king.

The frescoes from the XNUMXth century in the nave follow the scheme of this type of church: Christ the Almighty is depicted in the dome, below him are angels and the evangelists; in the altar niche are presented "Theotokos on a throne", "Adoration of the Sacrifice", "Annunciation"; on the walls and arches are scenes from the life of Christ.

In the vestibule (probably a burial chapel) there are 18 life scenes dedicated to the patron St. Nicholas. Here are also presented the portraits of the donors - Sevastoprator Kaloyan and his wife Desislava, of the Bulgarian king Constantine Asen Tych and queen Irina, as well as the first known image of the Bulgarian saint Ivan Rilski.
The frescoes in the chapel "St. Panteleimon' on the second floor are from the same period, but differ in style. Parts of: "Annunciation", "Communion of the Apostles", "Crucifixion", "Resurrection", life scenes of St. Panteleimon have been preserved.

The Boyan church is unique with the variety, the colorful solution and the deep psychological interpretation of the images. The style of the frescoes from 1259 is related to the traditions of the Tarnovo school of painting from the XNUMXth century. The unknown master follows classical iconography. His painting is bright and saturated, the images are lively, rich in spiritual nuances, the portrait characteristics of secular people are emphasized. This innovative approach ranks the church "St. Nicholas and St. Panteleimon" in the list of world cultural and historical heritage.

The restoration of "St. Nicholas and St. Panteleimon" began in the middle of the 2006th century and ended in XNUMX as a result of a donation campaign organized by the National History Museum.
Since 2003, the Boyan Church is a branch of the National History Museum.

Information about visits

Due to the high visitor interest, we recommend that you request your visit in advance. Preference is given to visitors and groups with advance request.
Reservation requests are accepted Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 17:00 p.m.

Opening hours:

Monday - Sunday

(winter), 09:00 – 17:30 (checkout until 17:00)
(summer), 09:30 – 18:00 (checkout until 17:30)

Important information for visitors to Boyan Church. 
Due to compliance with anti-epidemic safety measures, the church is being disinfected between 09:00-09:30 and 14:00-14:30 and no visitors are allowed.


Prices:

Individual visits:

• individual visitors – BGN 10.00
• for pupils and students – BGN 2.00.

Group visits:

• for groups of 10 or more visitors – BGN 7.00.
• for groups of 10 or more students – BGN 1.00.


Combined tickets valid within 1 month:

• Boyan Church - NIM - BGN 15.00.
• Boyan Church - NIM - Zemensky Monastery "St. John the Theologian" – BGN 18.00

Guided talks:

• in Bulgarian – BGN 5.00
• in a foreign language – BGN 10.00
• in Bulgarian with translation - BGN 6.00


Admission is free:

• for people with special needs and their companions
• for children of preschool age
• every last Monday of the month after 15:00 p.m.
• May 18 – International Museum Day

Preferential prices:

• September 17 - Sofia Day - free entry for children, schoolchildren and students, for all others BGN 1.
• November 1 - Day of the People's Alarm Clocks - free entry for children, schoolchildren and students, for all others BGN 1.

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