ВТОРИЯТ ЦАРЕВГРАД МЕЖДУ IX И XIX ВЕК: ВЪЗРОЖДЕНСКАТА ИКОНОГРАФИЯ НА ВЕЛИКИ ПРЕСЛАВ
THE SECOND BULGARIAN CAPITAL BETWEEN 9th AND 19th ENTURY: THE ICONOGRAPHY OF VELIKI PRESLAV IN THE BULGARIAN NATIONAL REVIVAL ART

Summary/Abstract: The second Bulgarian capital Veliki Preslav is related with some of the most significant moments in the Bulgarian national fate during 9th century AD. It is the starting point of the Conversion to Orthodoxy, the Enlightenment of the Slavs, the creation and distribution of the Cyrillic alphabet, the Golden Age of Tsar Simeon I, etc. Event after the end of the First and the Second Bulgarian states the regal aura of the second Bulgarian capital Preslav as a symbol of our glorious past did not fade away. Perhaps for this reason, in the midst of the 19th century its majesty has become a part of the artistic toolkit of the Bulgarian National Revival Period art. Since 1864, Preslav has found its place in the iconography scheme of SS. Cyril and Methodius, but an image of it can be seen also at an unusual place - as a part of the landscape between SS. Apostles Peter and Paul in an icon painted in 1885 by the iconographer Nikola Vassilev from Shumen. Vasilev is the Revival Period painter who most actively portrays the Old Bulgarian capital in his icons of the Holy Brothers, adding curious elements to the city’s landscapes, so much of this study is dedicated to the analysis of his works. Originally presented as a fantastic 9th century landscape the image of Preslav in the Bulgarian iconography gradually changes to an image of a modern 19th century town. The main contribution to this process is the work of Nikola Vasilev from Shumen who painted the old capital ten times between 1869 and 1896. In 1885, he represented it for the first time as a realistic 19th century urban landscape combined with historical elements that remind of the glorious past of Preslav ten centuries ago. We have to say that in 1885 Vasilev included the landscape of Preslav in two of his icons - one of SS. Cyril and Methodius and another one of SS. Apostles Peter and Paul – something that cannot be seen in the works of any other Bulgarian iconographer. However, his innovation did not end there, because in each of his subsequent icons of the Holy Brothers he elaborated his ideas about Preslav and interpreted its image according to the current historical circumstances. Thus, his last icon created in 1896 represents a realistic interpretation of a modern city with European outlook without ignoring of the elements of its historical background. It convinces the viewer that there is no difference between the grandeur of the old town from the 9th century and from the 19th century AD.

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