The Boyana Church is a medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church situated on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. The edifice comprises three buildings built in the 10th, the 13th, and the 19th centuries, respectively.

The church owes its world fame to its frescoes from 1259. They form a second layer over the paintings from earlier centuries and represent one of the most complete and well preserved monuments of Eastern European mediaeval art. A total of 89 scenes with 240 human images are depicted on the walls of the church. The painter is anonymous, but is possibly from the Tarnovo Art School.

A total of 18 scenes in the narthex depict the life of Saint Nicholas. The painter here drew certain aspects of contemporary lifestyle. In The Miracle at Sea, the ship and the sailors' hats recall the Venetian fleet. The portraits of the patrons of the church - Kaloyan and his wife Desislava, as well as those of Bulgarian tsar Constantine Tikh and tsaritsa Irina, are thought to be among the most interesting and lifelike frescoes in the church.

The monument was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.

External links

• Official website of the Boyana Church
• The Boyana Church - virtual tour

World Heritage Sites in Bulgaria | Churches in Sofia

Боянска църква | Bojana-kirken | Kirche von Bojana | Kerk van Bojana | Cerkiew Bojańska | Црква Бојана | Bojanakyrkan