Three archaeological monuments researched near Razlog

Stroitelstvo Gradat Weekly, 9th July 2007, by Eftika Gerogieva

The project On the Roads of Early Christianity has been developed in joint cooperation by Razlog Municipality and the Trade Chamber of the Greek town Drama. The project is for 277,580 Euro – 10% is co-financed by Razlog Municipality, and the remaining amount is provided under the PHARE programme – Cross-border Cooperation Bulgaria-Greece.
The partnership between the organisations on both sides of the border will make the region more attractive for the tourists and will facilitate its sustainable development on the basis of the rich cultural and historic heritage.

Three archaeological monuments will be researched within the project – the Painted Church, the White Church and “St Nikola” church.

The Painted Church will be restored, conserved and secured. The access to the church as well as the necessary infrastructure and lighting will be improved. The project plans for the construction of a visitors centre with and an exhibition hall near the archaeological site. The excavations of the Painted Church in the Betolovoto area have already finished. The work on the other two sites in the area – the White Church and “St Nikola” church, will start soon. As this project finances only the archaeological excavations, the Municipality is planning to apply for funds under the European operative programmes for the socialisation of the sites and development of the infrastructure around them. The three churches, which are situated near each other, will be connected by a footpath.
A joint Bulgarian-Greek production - On the Roads of Early Christianity - will be developed under the project as well as various advertising materials about the already renewed Painted Church.

The development of a Municipality Programme for conservation and socialisation of historic and cultural monuments is forthcoming as well as the development of models for their management.

This will create an integrated tourist product which will present and popularise the rich cultural and historical heritage of the Razlog area. The seasonal character of tourism will be overcome, the tourists will extend the period of their stay, thus increasing the income from tourism.

The Painted Church
Different nuances of blue, yellow, orange and white are the colours of one of the most important monuments in Razlog area – the Painted Church. The excavations and research carried out so far, show that the church was built between XIV and XVI centuries. One of the reasons for the restoration and socialisation of this church is dictated by its location – it is situated 200 meters west of the road to the golf course in Betolovoto area, which continues to the “Yavorov” mountain hut. The church is situated in an even mountain glade and is easily accessible for the tourists. The excavations and research are still at an early stage but the discovered so far provides enough information about the plan and the architectural model of the church. It is of the cruciform domed type church, which in the 10th century became the most popular architectural type in Medieval Bulgaria.

Research of the cultural monuments of different ages
The area around Razlog is rich in cultural monuments of different ages and civilizations. One of the important cult sites in Bulgaria is the temple of the goddess Bendida near the village of Babiak. It was used for more than 14 centuries and the remains of the rituals have formed cultural layers reaching in some places 3 meters. Among the archaeological sites are also the early Neolithic settlement in the Eleshnitsa village and the temple of the Sun in the Stolovatets area. Examples of Medieval Christian buildings are the churches in the areas of Razlog, Godlevo, Bachevo as well as the fortresses in Yakoruda and Eleshnitsa. Islamic culture is represented by the Turkish baths in Razlog and the village of Bania. 70 houses in Razlog, most of which are from the National Revival period and of the so called Razlog-Tchepintsi type of house, have been declared architectural monuments. Razlog Municipality has seven art monuments of Bulgarian culture. For the restoration of its cultural monuments, Razlog Municipality will apply with different projects for financing under the programmes of the European Union.


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