History

Discover Boyana Church

Registered as a UNESCO Cultural Heritage in 1979, the Boyana church, Saint Nikola and Panteleimon is one of the most representative picturesque monuments in the country. 

It was built during the Middle Ages and is among the 40 churches that have remained intact to this day in Bulgaria. It is known that during that time there were about 20,000 or 30,000, but due to the Ottoman occupation, there were no churches allowed to be taller than a Turkish soldier riding a horse. Therefore, many of the churches were demolished, although nobody knows why, precisely the church in Boyana was not one of them.

Boyana church from the outside

Getting there

Using the buses Nº64 and 107 you can reach the church. The last stop for both buses is the church.

Schedule

Open from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM April through October. Rest of year opens and closes 30 minutes earlier.

Additional information

Adults pay 5€. Monthly first Monday free admission. There is 6€ ticket witch includes the History Museum.

More about the CHURCH

It is located in the neighbourhood of Boyana, at the foot of Vitosha Mountain, a short distance from the centre of Sofia. The church is not so popular for its architectural value, but for the paintings inside, which endow the year 1259 and have been very well preserved.

Apart from the frescoes that are part of the Old and New Testaments, some of the paintings are of old Bulgarian kings that are painted from head to toe with a very high qualitative value. It is a fact that the frescoes are almost all related to secular portraits, but in the church, there are more than 240 paintings that represent the outstanding achievements of culture in Bulgaria during the Middle Ages.

The interior of the Boyana church with its incredible frescoes
Source: National History Museum

Have a look at our popular ARTICLES

Check out some of our most recent articles for tips or new and interesting information on Bulgarian tourism. Some of them can even take you on a unique journey through Bulgaria, introducing you to one of its many faces.

All articles