Bulgarian Architecture
Bulgarian Church Architecture 
The First Bulgaria Kingdom officially adopted Christianity as the state religion in AD 865. However, Christianity had existed and been practiced by believers on the territory of what is now Bulgaria long before then. The remains of more than 160 early Christian churches have been found in Bulgaria dating between late antiquity and the early 7th century. Two well known examples of such early churches are the Old Metropolitan Church in the Black Sea coastal town of Nesebur (Nessebar) and the Church of St. Sophia in the Bulgarian capital Sofia. Typically, in terms of architectural style, these early churches were in the form of basilicas. The basilica architectural model continued to dominate until around the late 13th and early 14th century. It was then superseded by a number of other architectural styles. One of the most important developments in Bulgarian church architecture was the domed cruciform church, which can be found in many variants. One of the earliest examples is the Church of St. John the Precursor in Nesebur (Nessebar). This style of church architecture reached its zenith during the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. During this period another architectural style appeared in the form of a domed church with elongated nave but stunted transepts. A fine example of this architectural style is the Church of the Holy Virgin of Petrich in the Asenova Krepost above the town of Asenovgrad. One other interesting architectural style which appeared was that of the single-aisled church with narthex. A very good example of this is the Ossuary Church at the Bachkovo Monastery. Its architecture is unique in Bulgaria. During the Ottoman period, when there were severe restrictions on the construction of churches in Bulgaria, humble single-aisled churches were constructed with barrel vaults over nave and narthex. Often they were half built into the ground such as the old church at the Nunnery of the Presentation of the Virgin near Sopot. Today there are about 4000 Eastern Orthodox churches in Bulgaria, offering a wonderful variety of architectural styles. |
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Bulgarian National Revival Architecture 
The development of Bulgarian vernacular architecture has, to a large degree, been shaped by the influence of its long Ottoman legacy. Typically, traditional Bulgarian houses are constructed from a combination of timber, stone, mud and straw. The ground floor is usually constructed from local stone and was normally used for housing livestock and storing hay, agricultural tools and produce. In many village houses, the timber framework of the upper storeys was then in-filled with wattle and daub, and then plastered over with a white-wash of lime. A very typical feature of this traditional architecture was the eker or kyoshk, where part of the upper storeys of these houses projected out on beams over the street below. In some regions, houses typically had a chardak, or open terrace, projecting from the façade of the house. In many villages, another striking feature of the traditional architecture is the roofs, which were made from large flat stones and pierced by tall stone chimneys. Some of the finest examples of such traditional village houses can be seen in the Rodopi (Rhodope) Mountains, in the northern foothills of the Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina), and in the region around Veliko Turnovo. However, the true masterpieces of Bulgarian National Revival architecture are generally considered to be the wonderful town houses which were constructed during the late 18th and 19th centuries in places such as Koprivshtitsa, Tryavna, Bansko and Plovdiv. These were often built for wealthy merchants, and were larger and more ornate than ordinary village houses. Most of them had there exteriors painted in pretty colours, and their roofs were covered in red tiles rather than stone.
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Bulgarian Muslim Architecture 
From the 14th century until the late 19th century, Bulgaria was under Ottoman occupation and part of the Ottoman Empire. Not surprisingly, therefore, throughout Bulgaria, one can find many interesting examples of Islamic architecture. When speaking of Islamic architecture, it is the mosque which immediately springs to mind, as this stands as the centre-piece of orthodox Islamic architecture. A fine example of a mosque in Bulgaria built in classical architectural style is the Banya Bashi Mosque in Sofia. Later, during the 18th century there occurred the development of a so-called Turkish Baroque style, as seen in the Tombul Mosque in Shumen. However, in many rural parts of eastern Bulgaria one can also find some other less common examples of Islamic architecture belonging to Bulgarias many non-orthodox Muslims. These are the Tekke (Dervish monasteries) and Türbes (tombs of Sufi saints). The latter are particularly fascinating. Apart from the Türbe of Kadir Baba which is octagonal, the majority of Türbes found in Bulgaria are heptagonal constructions. The finest examples of this seven-sided architectural style are the Türbe of Demir Baba near Sveshtari, the Türbe of Ak Yazili Baba near Balchik, and the Türbe of Kidemli Baba near Nova Zagora and the Türbe of Otman Baba near Haskovo. The latter two, in particular, are renowned as outstanding examples of Ottoman architecture. |
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Bulgarian Jewish Architecture 
The earliest known synagogues to have been built on Bulgarian territory are the remains of those in Silistra (Durostorum) and Plovdiv (Philippolis) which have been dated to about the 3rd to 4th centuries AD. The architectural style of these synagogues was monumental, and they were almost square in plan. There is no information about the architectural style of synagogues in Bulgaria during the medieval period, but it is believed there were synagogues in cities such as Vidin, Veliko Turnovo, PLovdiv and Kyustendil. Later, during the height of the Ottoman period, there were many Jewish communities in Bulgaria, and synagogues would certainly have been found in many of the larger Bulgarian towns including Sofia, Plovdiv, Russe (Ruse) and Vidin. Many of these were Sephardic Jews who had been driven out of Spain and Portugal at the end of the 15th century, and then found refuge on the Balkan Peninsula where Sultan Bayazid II ordered that they should be well treated. Others were merchants, who resettled here from Germany, Austro-Hungary and Poland. In the early 17th century, there were some 15,000 Jews in Sofia alone, and by the end of the 19th century it is estimated that they accounted for one-fifth of the citys population. Best examples of synagogues from this period are the two synagogues in Pazardzhik, and those in Samokov and Plovdiv. Later, at the end of the 19th century and start of the 20th century, several large new synagogues were built in Sofia, Burgas, Varna, Russe (Ruse) and Vidin. Today, the Sofia Central Synagogue is the second biggest Sephardic synagogue in Europe.
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