Church of St Petka, Vukovo
Encyclopedia
The Church of St Petka is a late Medieval
Bulgaria
n church in the village of Vukovo
, Kyustendil Province
.
in the eastern part of the village of Vukovo, municipality of Boboshevo
.
It is one nave
and one apse
church without narthex
with wall piers which form a swallow arc on the western facade. Its dimensions are 8,10 x 4,34 m. The vault is semi-cylindrical. The semi-round apse has a small narrow window. It was built of stones and white plaster. The whole interior as well as the western external wall are painted. The fresco
es in the church are relatively well preserved and are an important source for the development of the late medieval painting in Bulgaria and the Balkans
. The church was constructed in the 16th century.
The frescoes were painted in 1598 as seen from the ktitor
inscription in the western side of the naos with funds of rich people from the village. The decorative system of the frescoes is with traditional medallions with depictions of Jesus Christ on the vault, friezes of medallions with saints and prophets and full-length portraits of saints under the arcade. Among the images of saints and martyrs are some of the oldest discovered depiction of Saint Sava
, depictions of the sainted Pope Sylvester I and St Boniface who are popular in the Catholic art. In the decoration of the church there are a lot of details of influence from the Italian art - the moustaches of some soldiers, half-faced people in the Betrayal of Judas
, the knight banner of the centurion St. Longinus in the Crucifixion and others. With the new ideas and skilfully painted frescoes, the church is among the most valuable monuments from that period on the Balkans
.
The church is an architectural monument of culture (DV, is.77/1972) and artistic monument of culture with national importance (DV, is.100/1969).
The church is named after Saint Paraskeva
or Petka of Bulgaria who lived in 10-11th century. From 1238 her relics were kept in the capital of the Bulgarian Empire
Tarnovo but after the fall of the country under Ottoman
domination the relics were fimaly moved to Iaşi
in modern Romania
in 1641.
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n church in the village of Vukovo
Vukovo
Vukovo is a village in the Boboshevo municipality in western Bulgaria. It has 82 inhabitants.- Geography :The village is located in western Bulgaria to the south-east of the city of Kyustendil. It is situated in a mountainous region near the Struma River...
, Kyustendil Province
Kyustendil Province
-Religion:Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census:-Language:Mother tongues in the province according to 2001 census:* 153,242 Bulgarian * 7,929 Roma * 1363 others and unspecified -Ethnic groups:...
.
Location, history, architectural and artistic features
The church is situated on the left bank of the Struma RiverStruma River
The Struma or Strymónas is a river in Bulgaria and Greece. Its ancient name was Strymōn . Its catchment area is 10,800 km²...
in the eastern part of the village of Vukovo, municipality of Boboshevo
Boboshevo
Boboshevo is a town in Western Bulgaria. It is located in Kyustendil Province and is close to the towns of Kocherinovo and Rila.The town of Boboshevo is situated around to the south of Sofia and from Bulgaria's prime skiing destination, Bansko...
.
It is one nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and one apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
church without narthex
Narthex
The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
with wall piers which form a swallow arc on the western facade. Its dimensions are 8,10 x 4,34 m. The vault is semi-cylindrical. The semi-round apse has a small narrow window. It was built of stones and white plaster. The whole interior as well as the western external wall are painted. The fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es in the church are relatively well preserved and are an important source for the development of the late medieval painting in Bulgaria and the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. The church was constructed in the 16th century.
The frescoes were painted in 1598 as seen from the ktitor
Ktitor
A ktetor or ktitor is someone who provides the funds for construction or reconstruction of an Orthodox church or monastery, for the addition of icons, frescos, and other works of art. A Catholic equivalent of the term is a donator. The female form is ktetorissa or ktitorissa ....
inscription in the western side of the naos with funds of rich people from the village. The decorative system of the frescoes is with traditional medallions with depictions of Jesus Christ on the vault, friezes of medallions with saints and prophets and full-length portraits of saints under the arcade. Among the images of saints and martyrs are some of the oldest discovered depiction of Saint Sava
Saint Sava
Saint Sava was a Serbian Prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, the founder of Serbian law and literature, and a diplomat. Sava was born Rastko Nemanjić , the youngest son of Serbian Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja , and ruled the appanage of Hum briefly in...
, depictions of the sainted Pope Sylvester I and St Boniface who are popular in the Catholic art. In the decoration of the church there are a lot of details of influence from the Italian art - the moustaches of some soldiers, half-faced people in the Betrayal of Judas
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
, the knight banner of the centurion St. Longinus in the Crucifixion and others. With the new ideas and skilfully painted frescoes, the church is among the most valuable monuments from that period on the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
.
The church is an architectural monument of culture (DV, is.77/1972) and artistic monument of culture with national importance (DV, is.100/1969).
The church is named after Saint Paraskeva
Parascheva of the Balkans
Saint Parascheva of the Balkans was an ascetic female saint of the 11th century...
or Petka of Bulgaria who lived in 10-11th century. From 1238 her relics were kept in the capital of the Bulgarian Empire
Second Bulgarian Empire
The Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state which existed between 1185 and 1396 . A successor of the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually being conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th-early 15th century...
Tarnovo but after the fall of the country under Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
domination the relics were fimaly moved to Iaşi
Iasi
Iași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
in modern Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
in 1641.
Literature
- Grabar, Andre. La peinture religieuse en Bulgarie. Paris, 1928.
- Протич, А. - Денационализиране и възраждане на нашето изкуство от 1393 до 1879 г. Сборник България 1000 г. С., 1930, с. 198, 384 и 397.
- Мавродинов, Никола. Изкуството на Българското Възраждане. С., 1957, с. 262 и сл.
- Божков, А. За някои забравени паметници на българската монументална живопис от ХVІ век. - Изкуство, 1964, № 9-10, с. 47 и сл.;
- Василиев, Асен. Проучвания на изобразителните изкуства из някои селища по долината на Струма. - Известия на Института за изобразителни изкуства, VІІ, 1964, с. 151 и сл.
- Панайотова, Д. Църквата "Св.Петка" при с.Вуково. - Известия на Института за изобразителни изкуства, VІІІ, 1965, 221-257.
- Марди, В. - Бабикова - Научно мотивирано предложение за обявяване на църквата "Св.Петка" в с.Вуково, Кюстендилско за паметник на културата. София, 1968 г., Архив НИПК;
- Дремсизова-Нелчинова, Цв. и Слокоска, Л. - Археологически паметници от Кюстендилски окръг, София, 1978 г., с.14;
- Флорева, Елена. Средновековни стенописи Вуково (1598). С., 1987.
- Енциклопедичен речник КЮСТЕНДИЛ А-Я. С., 1988.
- Стефанов, Павел. Фрескови надписи и графити във Вуково (1598). - Palaeobulgarica/Старобългаристика, 1989, № 1, 67-80.
- Минчева, Калина. Църквата "Св.Петка" в с.Вуково, - В: Църкви и манастири от Югозападна България през ХV-ХVІІ в., София, ЦСВП "Проф.Иван Дуйчев" към СУ "Св.Климент Охридски", 2007, 35-37.
- Заедно по свещените места на планината Осогово. Пътеводител. С., 2008, с. 106.
- Калина Минчева. Манастири и манастирска мрежа в Кюстендилския санджак през ХV-ХVІІ век. С., Вакон, 2010 (Studia Slavico-Byzantina et Mediaevalia Europensia, X).