The Boyana Church

The Boyana Church in the city of Sofia (built in the 11th-12th centuries) is known as one of the most exquisite and best preserved landmarks of south European Medieval art. It owes its worldwide fame to the exquisite murals painted in 1259 by an unknown icon painter of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (12th-14th centuries). The murals are considered one of the most valuable collections of Medieval fine art preceding the masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance.

Boyana Church consists of three buildings. The eastern church was built in the 10th century, then enlarged at the beginning of the 13th century by Sebastocrator Kaloyan, who ordered a second two storey building to be erected next to it. The frescoes in this second church, painted in 1259, make it one of the most important collections of medieval paintings. The ensemble is completed by a third church, built at the beginning of the 19th century. This site is one of the most complete and perfectly preserved monuments of east European medieval art.