| Archaeologists Make Last Discoveries As They Excavate in Full Medieval Monastery at Urvich Fortress near Bulgaria’s Sofia Source: Archaeology in Bulgaria October 21, 2015 An aerial view of part of the ruins of the 15th-17th century AD St. Iliya Monastery at the Urvich Fortress near Bulgaria’s capital Sofia, upon the completion of the 5-year excavations of the monastery. Photo: Archaeological Team, National Museum of History Archaeological structures and artifacts from the 14th-17th century AD have been discovered during the last days of the excavations of the late medieval monastery St. Iliya (St. Elijah) at the Urvich Fortress near the Bulgarian capital Sofia. The latest discoveries from the medieval Bulgarian monastery at the Urvich Fortress include themagernitsa (i.e. the kitchen in an Eastern Orthodox monastery), the huge dining room of the monks, monk cells, storage facilities, frescoes, and various kinds of artifacts and coins, reports the Bulgarian National Television. The archaeological team led by Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov, Assoc. Prof. Boni Petrunova, and the youngarchaeologist Filip Petrunov has completed the excavations of the St. Iliya Monastery which have beena 5-year effort. The Urvich Fortress rose to prominence at the time of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396 AD), and especially at the end of the 14th century AD when it was defending the then city of Sredets (Sofia) from the invasion of the Ottoman Turks. The St. Iliya Monastery is especially intriguing because it existed in the 15th-17th century, during the early period of the Ottoman Empire, after all of Bulgaria had ultimately been conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1396-1422 AD. In the last phase of the 2015 summer excavations of the Urvich Fortress, which started at the end of September, 2015, the archaeologists excavated the last remaining 15% of the territory of the medieval monastery St. Iliya which had not been explored. Thus, the latest archaeological structures exposed by the researchers indicate that the residential building containing the cells of the late medieval Bulgarian monks had several floors. |
| Veliko Tarnovo Opens Restored Medieval Church ahead of Celebrations for 830th Anniversary of Founding of Second Bulgarian Empire Source: Archaeology in Bulgaria October 23, 2015 The St. Dimitar Solunski Church was restored in 1985 for the 800th anniversary of Asen and Petar’s Uprising that created the 2nd Bulgarian Empire. Photo: Veliko Tarnovo Municipality Ahead of the 830th anniversary of the founding of the Second Bulgarian Empire, the northern Bulgarian city of Veliko Tarnovo has opened for visitors and planned special events the restored St. Dimitar Solunksi (St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki) Church where 830 years ago local nobles Asen and Petar started an uprising against the Byzantine Empire leading to the resurrection of the Bulgarian state. The St. Dimitar Solunski Church, a monument of culture restored in 1985 for the 800th anniversary of Asen and Petar’s Uprising based on the excavations of the preceding two original temples with the same name, will be opened from October 22 until November 8, 2015, which is the period when eventscelebrating the 830th anniversary since Asen and Petar’s Uprising will be held. Except for the summer season, the church can be visited only if an appointment is booked in advance,Veliko Tarnovo Municipality says in a media release inviting people from all over Bulgaria andinternational tourists to visit the historical monument. On October 26, 2015, when Veliko Tarnovo and all of Bulgaria will celebrate the 830th anniversary since the Uprising of Tsar Asen I and Tsar Petar IV, which restored the Bulgarian state in 1185 AD, after it had been conquered by the Byzantine Empire in 1018 AD. 830 years ago the Uprising of Asen and Petar recorded one of the most glorious pages in Bulgaria’s medieval history. It liberated Bulgaria from Byzantium after 167 years of Byzantine domination, and created the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396/1422). The Bulgarian boyars (nobles) Asen and Todor (Teodor) who led the Uprising became Tsar Asen I (r. 1187-1196) and Tsar Petar IV (r. 1186-1197). |
| Archaeologist Discovers Early Byzantine Basilica In " Frankish Quarter " of Medieval Bulgarian Capital Tarnovgrad (Veliko Tarnovo) Source: Archaeology in Bulgaria October 6, 2015 The ruins of an Early Byzantine basilica have been discovered on the same spot in Bulgaria’s Veliko Tarnovo where in 2014 Prof. Hitko Vachev found a 13th century AD Bulgarian monastery. Photo: Trud daily An Early Byzantine Christian basilica has been discovered during archaeological excavations the city of Veliko Tarnovo in Northern Bulgaria, southeast of the fortress wall of the Tsarevets Hill Fortress, in the so called Frenkhisar, or the “Frankish Quarter”, of Tarnovgrad, the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396 AD). The ruins of the previously unknown Christian temple from the early period of the Byzantine Empirehave been found by the team of Prof. Hitko Vachev from the Veliko Tarnovo Regional Museum of History. The discovery has been announced by Ivan Tsarov, Director of the Veliko Tarnovo Regional Museum of History, as cited by the Trud daily. The Early Byzantine basilica has been found not far from the spot where in 2014 Vachev discoveredthe ruins of a Bulgarian monastery from the 13th century, the height of the Second Bulgarian Empire. “Expanding the sector of the excavations around the [monastery] church, Prof. Vachev has stumbled upon an Early Byzantine basilica. We did not expect that even though the medieval [monastery] church did have several Antiquity architectural fragments such as pillars and acapital,” Tsarov explains. He points out that the medieval Bulgarian monastery found in 2014 by Vachev, which was called Monastery of the Mother of God (Virgin Mary), has yielded medieval graves with rich funeral inventories, and apparently played an important role in the life of the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire. It is yet unclear if there was any direct connection between the Bulgarian monastery from the 13thcentury AD, and the Byzantine basilica from the Late Antiquity whose ruins have just been found nearby. |
| Bulgarian Archaeologists Show Lead Cross Reliquary, Lead Icon Found In Medieval City Missionis (KRUM’S Fortress) August 12, 2015 The 14th century AD lead cross reliquary discovered in the medieval Bulgarian city of Missionis/Krum’s Fortress has depictions of the crucified Jesus Christ, the Mother of God (Virgin Mary), and the apostles Andrew, Peter, and Paul. Photo: Borislav Kurdov, DarikNews A lead cross, which is also a reliquary, found during the excavations of the Early Byzantine andmedieval Bulgarian city of Missionis, also known as Krum’s Fortress, whose ruins are located near today’s northeastern city of Targovishte, has been presented to the public for the first time byBulgarian archaeologists. “This is an absolutely unique item. Personally, I have never seen lead crosses that are also reliquaries. I have seen lead icons which are used as reliquaries but lead crosses – never,” says Prof. Nikolay Ovcharovwho presented the find to reporters together with other archaeologists at a news conference in thenortheastern city of Shumen, as cited by DarikNews . The 14th century AD lead cross was actually discovered during the excavations of the medieval city of Missionis/Krum’s Fortress back in 2008 but its conservation and restoration have taken a long time, and it has been shown to the media and the public just now. The cross, which has compartments for keeping holy relics of Christian saints, appears to date to the last years of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396 AD), before its conquest by the invading Ottoman Turks at the end of the 14th century. The lead cross reliquary from the Late Middle Ages features depictions of the crucified Jesus Christand the praying Mother of God (Virgin Mary) next to him as well as three figures which are believed to represent the first followers of Christ – the apostles Andrew, Peter, and Paul. “Christ’s suffering on the cross speaks of western influence. It is very likely that this cross originated in the last days before the fatal siege at the end of the 14th century when the fortress of Missionis was taken by the Ottoman Turks,” Ovcharov hypothesizes. |
| Archaeolgoists Find Medieval Procession Cross, Bulgarian, Ottoman Coin Treasures at Black Sea Fortress Kastritsi July 30, 2015 Coins of 14th century rulers of the Second Bulgarian Empire, the Dobrudzha Despotate, the Ottoman Empire, Wallachia, Moldova, Poland, the Tartar Khanates, and Egypt have been discovered in the lastest archaeoloical excavations in the Kastritsi Fortress near Bulgaria " s Varna. The archaeologists excavating the Late Antiquity and medieval Byzantine and Bulgarian fortress Kastritsi, which is located in the Euxinograd Residence of the Bulgarian government near the Black Sea city of Varna, have discovered medieval Christian artifacts as well as a treasure of Bulgarian and Ottoman coins. The newly found Christian artifacts from Kastritsi are a church procession cross and a medallion with the image of the Holy Mother of God, i.e. the Virgin Mary, Prof. Valentin Pletnyov, Director of the Varna Museum of Archaeology (Varna Regional Museum of History) has told Radio Focus Varna. The church procession cross is made of bronze. It bears an inscription in Greek reading “St. John the Forerunner” – one of the nicknames of St. John the Baptist used in Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The cross has been found during the excavations of a building in the Kastritsi Fortress. On its ground floor, the Bulgarian archaeologists have also discovered ceramic vessels with the so called sgraffitodecoration as well as the medallion with the image of the Virgin Mary which appears to be made ofsilver. In addition to these medieval Christian artifacts, the archaeologists excavating Kastritsi havediscovered what has been described as a small treasure of coins from the so called Despotate of Dobrudzha, also known as the Principality of Karvuna – a Bulgarian feudal state located in today’s Northeast Bulgaria and Southeast Romania, i.e. in the region of Dobrudzha, which existed at the end of the 14th century AD, after the local feudal lord Despot Dobrotitsa (r. 1347-1386 AD) seceded from the already weakened Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396). |
| Archaeologist Uncovers 13th Century Monastery Dining Room in Bulgaria’s Veliko Tarnovo Veliko Tarnovo, August 20, 2015 The 2015 summer excavations of the 13th century Bulgarian monastery discovered in 2014 in Tarnovgrad (today’s Veliko Tarnovo) have started and progressed despite the rainy weather. Photo: Veliko Tarnovo Municipality New archaeological structures – including what is believed to have been a monastery dining room – have been unearthed in the renewed excavations of a 13th century monastery in Tarnovgrad, the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396 AD), in today’s northern Bulgarian city of Veliko Tarnovo. The medieval Bulgarian monastery in question, which was called Monastery of the Mother of God (Virgin Mary) was first discovered by Prof. Hitko Vatchev from the Veliko Tarnovo Regional Museum of History in the fall of 2014. Vatchev has now continued his excavations of the medieval monastery, and has almost immediatelyunearthed previously unknown archaeological structures, reports the press service of Veliko Tarnovo Municipality. His team has discovered a building from the 13th-14th century AD with fragments of murals and ceramic decorations. Vatchev believes that was the monastery dining room based on the positioning of the surviving architecture. What is more, the deeper archaeological layers under the building have revealed the remains of another structure which dates back to the Late Antiquity and Early Byzantine period. The renewed excavations of the 13th century Bulgarian monastery, which have progressed in spite of the rainy weather, have been inspected by Veliko Tarnovo Deputy Mayor Gancho Karabadzhakov. The 2015 excavations of the monastery have been funded with BGN 12,000 (app. EUR 6,100) by theBulgarian Ministry of Culture, a small sum, to which Veliko Tarnovo Municipality has added another BGN 18,000 (app. EUR 9,200) from its own budget. The 2015 summer excavations of the 13th century Bulgarian monastery found in 2014 at the foot of the Tsarevets Hill in Veliko Tarnovo are funded by both the Bulgarian government, and Veliko Tarnovo Municipality. Photos: Veliko Tarnovo Municipality |
| Newly Found Basilica Sheds Light on Unknown Byzantine City, Reason Why Veliko Tarnovo Was Made Capital of Second Bulgarian Empire Source: Archaeology in Bulgaria October 23, 2015 A view of the excavation site of the Early Byzantine basilica and the 13th century Bulgarian monastery (in the front), with the Tsarevets Hill Fortress in the background. According to the latest hypothesis, before becoming part of the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire in the 12th-14th century, the Tsarevets Hill was the site of a major Byzantine city. Photo: BTA/Archaeological Team The Early Byzantine basilica which was discovered recently in the city of Veliko Tarnovo in Northern Bulgaria may prove the key to the exploration of what was an unknown but major Byzantine city, and to answering the question why Veliko Tarnovo, then known as Tarnovgrad, was made the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396 AD). This hypothesis has been presented by Prof. Hitko Vachev from the Veliko Tarnovo Regional Museum of History who discovered the Early Byzantine basilica southeast of the fortress wall of the Tsarevets Hill Fortress, in the so called Frenkhisar, or the “Frankish Quarter”, of the medieval Tarnovgrad. Speaking at a news conference in Sofia, Vachev has pointed out that the 6th century Byzantine basilica that he found was impressive in size meaning that most probably it was the seat of a bishop, a completely unknown fact until now, reports BTA. In a nutshell, the archaeologist’s hypothesis is that the presence of a bishopric in the Early Byzantine period in what later became the medieval Bulgarian city of Tarnovgrad (Veliko Tarnovo), with its two citadels, the Tsarevets Hill Fortress and the Trapesitsa Hill Fortress, means that in the Late Antiquityand Early Middle Ages, the Tsarevets Hill was the site of “one of the most fortified Byzantine cities”. The existence of such an Early Byzantine city on Tsarevets would explain why Tarnovgrad was picked as the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire enabling it to emerge as a power center rivaling Constantinople for much of the High and Late Middle Ages, the reasoning goes. |
| The Urvich Treasure is dated to the 14th-17th century AD, and consists of silver and gold-coated wreathes, belt decorations, and head decorations used by the late medieval Bulgarian nobility for wedding rituals as well as two rings, a bracelet, and different necklace decorations. Sofia Municipality has made it clear it is working on making Urvich part of a large-scale route forcultural tourism including a high number of archaeological and historical sites around the Bulgarian capital. Background Infonotes: The fortress of Urvich is located some 20 km southeast of Bulgaria’s capital Sofia. The medieval fortress there was built in the 9th-10th century by the First Bulgarian Empire, possibly as early as the reign of Khan (or kanas) Krum (r. 803-814 AD) who first conquered Sofia for Bulgaria in 805 AD, and was lated developed during the reign of Tsar Ivan Asen II (r. 1218-1241 AD). It was first excavated in 1969 by Prof. Dimitar Ovcharov, father of Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov. Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov has resumed the excavations there in recent years. The Urvich archaeological site bears marks from different time periods – from the Roman Empire in the late Antiquity, Byzantium, the First Bulgarian Empire (680-1018 AD) and the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396 AD) to the Ottoman Empire. In Bulgarian culture and national memory it is mostly known as a site of heroic resistance against the Ottoman Turkish invaders in the second half of the 14th century by some of the last state leaders of medieval Bulgaria, defending the strategically vital city of Sredets (today’s Sofia). As the Second Bulgarian Empire was being conquered by the Ottoman Empire in the late 14th century (Sofia was conquered in 1385 AD), the Urvich fortress was set on fire but was later rebuilt and used by the Ottoman Turkish invaders; the local monastery was also restored. The archaeological excavations at Urvich have unearthed murals from the St. Iliya (St. Elijah) Church and St. Iliya Monastery, and some of the frescoes have been shown to the public. It has also been emphasized that there is information about the monastery at Urvich in the first History of Bulgaria, the Slavic-Bulgarian History, compiled by the Bulgarian monk Paisiy Hilendarski in 1762 AD, which was the book that essentially laid the foundations of the modern-day Bulgarian nation leading to the so called period of Bulgarian National Revival (late 18th-19th century). There is evidence that the St. Iliya Church at the Urvich Monastery was restored in the 15-17th century. |
| The archaeological restoration of the Tsarevets Hill Fortress began in 1930 and was completed in 1981, the year that was celebrated, now somewhat questionably, as the 1300th anniversary since thefounding of the Bulgarian state. Tourists visiting Tsarevets can view the so called “Sound and Light” audiovisual show, an attraction using lasers and music to tell the story of the medieval Bulgarian Empire as well as Bulgaria’s fight for freedom against the Ottoman Empire, and the story ofBulgaria’s National Liberation. It was first launched in 1985 for the 800th anniversary since theUprising of Asen and Petar. The Tsarevets Fortress was granted a protected status by the Bulgarian government for the first time in 1927, and in 1964 it was declared a “monument of culture of national importance”. The Trapesitsa Hill is one of two main fortified historic hills in the medieval city of Tarnovgrad, today’s Veliko Tarnovo , in Central Northern Bulgaria, the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empirebetween 1185 and 1396 AD. Together with the Tsarevets Hill, Trapesitsa was one of the two fortressesof the inner city acropolis of Tarnovgrad (Veliko Tarnovo). The Trapesitsa Hill is a natural fortress on the right bank of the Yantra River, and is surrounded by it on three sides. It is located northwest of the Tsarevets Hill. The Trapesitsa Fortress had four gates, the main one being its southern gate, which was also connected with the Tsarevets Fortress with a bridge across the Yantra River. There are two hypotheses about Trapesitsa’s name. The first one is that it comes from the Bulgarian word “trapeza” meaning a “table” or “repast”, possibly referring to the receptions of the medieval Bulgarian Tsars; the second hypothesis is that the word comes from “trapezium” because the hill is in fact is a trapezoidal plateau. The first archaeological excavations on the Trapesitsa Hill Fortress in Bulgaria’s Veliko Tarnovobetween 1884 and 1900 revealed the foundations of 17 medieval Bulgarian churches with fragments of rich murals, colorful mosaics, and beautiful floor tiles. The documented artifacts discovered there include crosses, necklaces, coins, rings, earrings, vessels. The churches on Trapesitsa were richlydecorated with various architectural forms such as pilasters, niches, blind arches, colored slabs,among others. |
| A second expansion dates back to the mid 19th century, during Bulgaria’s National Revival period, when residents of the then village of Boyana funded further construction. After Bulgaria’s National Liberation from the Ottoman Empire in 1878, local residents wanted to tear down the Boyana Churchin order to build a bigger one in its place but was saved by Bulgaria’s Tsaritsa-Consort Eleonore (1860-1917), the second wife of Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand (r. 1887-1918). The unique murals of the Boyana Church also date back to different periods. The oldest layer is from the 11th-12th century, while the 240 most valuable mural depictions from the second layer date back to 1259 AD. There are also murals from the 14th century, the 16th-17th century, and 1882. The world famous murals from 1259 AD, which have been described by many scholars as Early Renaissnace or precursors of Renaissance Art, are the work of the unknown Boyana Master and his disciples who are believed to have been representatives of the Tarnovo Art School in the Second Bulgarian Empire(1185-1396 AD). They have sometimes been described as belonging to the tradition of the so called Byzantine Palaiologos (Palaeologus or Palaeologue) Renaissence. In addition to the many biblical scenes, themurals at the Boyana Church feature depictions of Sebastokrator Kaloyan and Sebastokratoritsa Desislava as donors, as well as of Bulgarian Tsar Konstantin Asen Tih (r. 1257-1277 AD) and his wife, Tsaritrsa Irina. Two other small churches preserved in today’s Sofia are also attributed to thedonorship of Sebastokrator Kaloyan. The frescoes of the Boyana Church were restored several times between 1912 and 2006. The Boyana Church was first opened for visitors as a museum in 1977. Archaeology in Bulgaria 13 января 2016 г. Предыдущий Следующий Смотри также Archaeologists Discover Ancient Hebrew Slab Near Town Where Jesus Drove Out Demons Archaeologists Discover Ancient Hebrew Slab Near Town Where Jesus Drove Out Demons Historians have long believed that Kursi was inhabited either by Jews or early Christians, and the discovery, supervised by Prof. |
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