Изображения на източнославянски светци в български храмове през Средновековието и Възраждането
Images of East Slavic Saints in Bulgarian Churces from the Middle Ages and the Period of National Revival

Summary/Abstract: Together with the literary monuments, the images of East Slavic saints in Bulgarian churches are quite indicative for cultural and historical relationships between Bulgarians and Eastern Slavs. The wall paintings and icons of East Slavic saints in Bulgarian churches from the Middle Ages up to the period after the Liberation (the last quarter of the 19th century) are traced in chronological order. The purpose of the paper is to highlight the literary and cultural aspects of the topic rather than to present a strict art historical analysis. The reasons and the distribution of East Slavic saints icons in Bulgarian territory as well as their meaning in historical context related to Bulgarian society constitute the main focus of present study. Images of East Slavic saints can be seen in the major citadels of spiritual life during the Bulgarian Revival period – Rila, Troyan and Preobrazhenie monasteries, also in Beliova church near Samokov, St George church in Dolni Lozen village, The Assumption of the Holy Mother church in Saparevo village, St Nikola church in Topolnica village, the monastery of village of German, The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary church in the town of Panagiurishte and the Metropolitan church of Assumption of the Holy Mother in the town of Samokov. The wall paintings and icons in these temples were created by Bulgarian iconographers, who belonged to Samokov painting school, such as Ivan Obrazopisov, Dimitar Zograf, Zachari Zograf, Nikola Obrazopisov and his assistants Christo Zachariev, Dimitar Christov, Christo Georgiev and Kosta Gerov, the brothers Nikola and Ivan Dospevski. Among the producers of the images, there were supposedly some representatives of Razlog-Bansko painting school, as well as less known local artists like Milosh Jakovlevich and Marko Minov.

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