Church of John the Baptist description and photos - Bulgaria: Asenovgrad (Topic)

Church of John the Baptist description and photos - Bulgaria: Asenovgrad. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photos and a map showing the nearest significant objects.

Photo and description

The Church of John the Baptist in Asenovgrad is located on the western outskirts of the city on a sheer cliff. The name “St. John's Church” is widespread among local residents. Its creation dates back to the 13-14 centuries, according to some versions - the 11th century. . determination of the age of a building is mainly based on its architectural features. It was built like a chapel, but due to its rather large size (length - 8 meters, width - 5.5, about 5 in height) it is recognized as a church. It is a one-nave structure with a three-sided apse and a vestibule. The building is constructed of broken stone alternating with stripes of brick. The facade is decorated with blind arches and fake niches. At the church of St. John, on the top in the northern wall, six cracks, similar to loopholes, if necessary, they served as a defensive element for the building and turned it into a kind of fortress.

The church has five blind arches on the north and south walls, and on the west wall there are three ordinary arches. The apse is three-sided and has three small windows. Wall thickness is about one meter. 800 years ago "Saint Yan" was a serf church and together with the fortress of the Archangel Michael defended Stanimaka (the ancient name of Asenovgrad) from the north. According to the architect Stoilov, at that time the importance of the values of the church and the fortress were equivalent.

For many years the church fulfilled the liturgical needs of believers, but in the late 18th and early 19th centuries it was already half destroyed, probably as a result attacks of the Kirjaliys. The upper part and wooden roof were restored shortly afterwards, which has also been replaced during recent restoration work. The paintings of the iconostasis and internal niches, as well as the altar, have been well preserved to this day. From the medieval frescoes of the temple, only two have survived - the figure of St. John the Baptist in a niche on the south wall, and the meeting of Mary and Elizabeth. Also on the southern wall behind the barrier was a now defunct iconostasis with stylistic features of the 14th century. Other remains of the murals were discovered in 2002 and restored: three images from the 19th century, figures of the Virgin Mary and Christ on the columns. The third fresco - John the Baptist - was removed, during the restoration another - a medieval image was revealed under it. Now the fresco with the image of John the Baptist is in the museum of the Church of St. George.

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Topic: Church of John the Baptist description and photos - Bulgaria: Asenovgrad.