The Boyana Church is a medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church. It is situated in suburb of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria ( Boyana quarter). The Boyana Church is consisted out of three buildings. The Eastern Church was built in the 10th century. The central wing was added in the 13th century under the Second Bulgarian Empire, and finally the third part was finished in the 19th century with an expansion to the west.
The Boyana Church is famous by its frescoes from 1259. They form a second layer over the paintings from earlier centuries. These frescoes are one of the most complete and well-preserved monuments of Eastern European mediaeval art. There are 89 scenes with 240 human images on the wall of the church. The name of the painter of these frescoes is recently discovered: Vassilii from the village Subonosha, Sersko and his apprentice Dimitar. There are some parts of the church which are over painted. These frescoes include scenes such as the Presentation of the Virgin, portrait of St. Nicholas and representations of the two patron saints of the Boyana Church – St. Nicholas and St. Panteleimon.
The full restoration of Boyana Church was finished on the February 10, in 2008.
It is now open 7 days a week from 9:30 am to 17:30 pm, with admission of 10 leva per person.
The Church was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.
The Boyana Church is one of the most complete and perfectly preserved monuments of east European medieval art.
