Sofia Travel Guide

Boyana Church

The Boyana Church complex - located on the outskirts of Sofia - is a UNESCO World Heritage Centre, and one of Bulgaria's most important tourist attractions. The first of the three buildings that make up the Boyana Church complex was built in the 10th century, but it is the second building - built in the 13th century - that is the obvious tourist draw card. Containing frescoes painted in 1259 - 89 scenes in total, including 240 human images - the second Boyana Church building is nothing less than the site of the most important collection of medieval eastern European art in the world. The paintings, which conform to a Byzantine aesthetic, yet possess a unique spiritual vitality, are almost perfectly preserved - and offer visitors a rare insight into the long, proud history of Bulgarian art and culture.