Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Unique icons in the St Alexander Nevski crypt

БНР Новини
12
Photo: Deyana Borissova




A unique collection of Ethiopian icons will be put on display in the crypt of the St. Alexander Nevski cathedral to mark the 50th jubilee of the Museum of Christian Art next year. The exhibits, which are from the museum’s fund have never been shown before. Back in the 1980’s the Ministry of Foreign Affairs donated icons and scrolls which will now be open to visitors.

Снимка

But is the Museum of Christian Art popular and how many people go to see it? Here is the answer from Ass. Prof. Ralitsa Rousseva – chief curator of the museum and member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Institute of Art Studies.

Снимка

“We offer the entire array of Bulgaria’s cultural heritage. No official delegation coming to the country – presidents, foremost writers and artists from all over the world – has ever given the crypt a miss. And not just Orthodox Christians but also people of all religious denominations come to see the exhibits here.”

As far as restoration goes, some of the exhibits used to be in a deplorable state. But with the help of the National Art Gallery laboratory and its icon restorers, now they are much improved.

Снимка

“The oldest wooden icon is Jesus Pantocrator. Actually, it was divided into three icons because of the complexity of the restoration work,” says Ass. Prof. Rousseva further. “The exhibit dates back to the 11th century. The oldest artifact in the crypt is a fragment of a 5th century fresco, we also have a small ceramic icon from Preslav which is from the 9th-10th century. The exposition covers a period from the 5th to the end of the 19th century.”

Снимка

What will the jubilee celebrations include?

“We are now working on the patronage but the celebrations open next year. The first exhibition will display masterpieces of religious art marking the individual medieval periods. They are not currently in the crypt. The next exposition will be of Ethiopian Christian art i.e. we will present a country entirely unknown to Bulgarians. Moreover, we are working on a designated website for the crypt. We will also publish a catalogue presenting the collection that has constantly been enriched for 50 years.”

English version: Milena Daynova

Photos: Deyana Borissova


Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Some of the rock churches are open to tourists

The valley of the monks: The churches in the valley of Rusenski Lom and its tributaries

In Northeastern Bulgaria the river Rusenski Lom and its tributaries – Cherni, Beli and Malki Lom – have carved out a rugged rocky landscape with hidden caves and hushed valleys where the only sound is that of the birdsong. People have settled in..

published on 7/22/25 1:05 PM
Metropolitan Joseph, head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in the USA, Canada, and Australia

Metropolitan Joseph, blessed the new Parish Council of the Holy Trinity Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Madison

His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph, head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in the USA, Canada, and Australia, has blessed the newly elected Parish Council of the Holy Trinity Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Madison, Illinois. The new council was elected..

published on 7/21/25 3:11 PM
The monument at Petrova Niva in Strandzha in honor of the heroes of the Ilinden-Preobrazhensko Uprising

On the sacrifice and redemption in the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising

The revival of Bulgarian statehood after five centuries of Ottoman rule is connected with the April Uprising of 1876 and the Internal Revolutionary Organization previously created by Vasil Levski. After the Treaty of Berlin of 1878, the Bulgarians..

published on 7/20/25 9:43 AM