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St. Archangel Michael Medieval Church village of Goranovtsi

     In fact, the church is located 2 km north of the village of Goranovtsi (17 km from Kyustendil), just before the next village – Dolno Uyno, on the right bank of the river Dragovishtitsa.

 

     In the past, it was part of a monastery. The church was built on the foundations of an older church. It is of stone with plaster, inside with bricks. Its length is 6.85 and its width is 4.35 m. The church's research workers date the shrine's building within the wide period of time - from 14th up to the 17th century. It represents the type of small, one-nave, one-apse buildings with antas on the western facade. The pilasters on the longitudinal naos walls are an achievement of the church architecture development. It had walled and pictured iconostasis - very rarely met element among the medieval churches.

 

     The whole shrine interior was icon-painted. The murals are of highly artistic value. Now the frescoes are preserved only at the bottom of the walls. Around the church there is an early medieval Slavonic settlement archeologically examined.

 

     The church is an artistic monument of culture with category of national importance.

 

     It is about 16 km from Kyustendil to the church.

 


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Do you know that:

  • the redwoods near the village of Bogoslov are the oldest and the highest in Bulgaria.
  • Pautalia means “fountain”, “spring city” in translation.
  • Pautalia was among the most flourishing cities in Ancient Times.