Church of St George

The Church of St George is a medieval Eastern Orthodox church in the city of Kyustendil, which lies in southwestern Bulgaria and is the administrative capital of Kyustendil Province. The church is located in the Kolusha neighbourhood, which was historically separate from the city. The church was constructed in the 10th–11th century and its frescoes are somewhat later, as the earliest layers were painted in the 11th–12th century.

Architecture and decoration

The church follows the Byzantine cross-in-square design and measures 10 by 8.70 metres. The dome is octagonal and features eight bays, four of which contain windows. There is no narthex and the cella appears square. A total of six pillars support the church from the inside. Two frame the entrance of the altar, while the remaining four stand below the dome. The church has three apses, all of a semicircular design. Materials used for the church's construction were bricks and mortar, resulting in interchanging rows of red and white.

The church's interior has preserved a number of medieval frescoes, particularly in the lower reaches of the walls and pillars. The paintings in the altar were done in the 11th–12th century, while the decoration of the pillars dates to the 12th century. All inscriptions that accompany the murals are in Medieval Greek. The altar features the images of four deacons bearing a censer and monstrances as well as two bishops who could possibly be identified as Basil of Caesarea and John Chrysostom. A number of saints are also depicted inside the church, including Saint Elijah, Saints Cosmas and Damian, Saint Hermolaus, Saint Pantaleon, and four unidentified female saints. There are also later works of art in the church. It boasts icons or murals by painter Ivan Dospevski from 1881 as well as works by Mihail Belstoynev.

Address
ulitsa Tintyava 1, Kyustendil, Bulgaria

Established
10th century AD