Saint Dimitar Church

Boboshevo, Bulgaria

Background

Saint Dimitar Church, formerly part of Boboshevo Monastery, was built in 1488, one of many small Orthodox churches constructed during the Middle Ages along the ancient road through the valley of the river Struma. It is a single-aisle church with a semi-cylindrical vault, typical of Balkan churches of the period. A narthex was added in the nineteenth century to the western façade. The interior walls are covered by late-medieval frescoes blending local and international techniques, considered the earliest completely preserved frescoes of this type in Bulgaria. As early as the eighteenth century, parts of the church showed signs of deterioration. As a result, many of its portable objects have long resided in the National Gallery of Art in Sofia. The walls and roof were stabilized in the 1930s and in 1985, a wood and tin structure was built around the church to protect the façades from weather erosion. Despite these measures, the building continued to deteriorate.

How We Helped

With the collaboration of the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture, the National Institute for Monuments and Culture, and the Bulgarian National Committee of ICOMOS, WMF achieved the stabilization of the church and the preservation of St. Dimitar’s frescos. The strengthening of the church structure was primarily obtained, following rigorous research and studies of the monument, by the execution of concrete binding to support the church walls, particularly in the event of further seismic activity, as well as by the construction of a metal structure to provide support to the vault. All interventions conserved the authentic building structure of the church. Furthermore, the old roof was replaced over the narthex, and anti-corrosion layers were added to protect the structure from further weathering. The preservation of the fifteenth century murals followed the completion of the structural project. This involved the removal of outdated protective coating, filling of failures, and the removal of salts from the mural paintings. The frescos were then retouched.

Why It Matters

The frescoes in Saint Dimitar Church are a defining element of the structure and were painted by skilled masters with clear knowledge of the artistic canon for religious scenes. With remarkable skill, the frescos combine fifteenth-century international painting styles with the strong and vital local folk traditions to create a spontaneous, bright, and vivid fresco cycle.

Last updated: October 2015.

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