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Nessebar is a UNESCO World Heritage site because it contains a wealth of medieval churches in the historic city. A few were built by the Byzantines and others are in the Byzantine style built by the Bulgarians.
The churches are either in ruins or used for different purposes today. The only churches I’ve covered in separate entries are the Church of St. Stephen (Sveti Stefan) and the Church of the Holy Saviour (Sveti Spas).
Basilica of Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia was a church built in the late 5th or early 6th century and reconstructed in the 9th century. It was situated in the center of the ancient city and is the largest of the churches that survive today in some form. It had three naves, a narthex, and an atrium. The church was 25.5 meters long and 13 meters wide.
In 1257, Hagia Sophia was looted by the Venetians and many relics were taken to the Church of San Salvatore in Venice. By the 18th century, it was abandoned.
Basilica of Panagia Eleousa
Part of a Byzantine monastery, the Basilica of Panagia Eleousa was built in the 6th century on the northern end of the peninsula. It was active as part of a monastery complex until the 14th century and probably destroyed in an earthquake.
The church had three naves, three apses, and a narthex. It measured 28 meters long by 18 meters wide. The northern part of the church had sunk into the sea, but excavations in 1920 partially restored it. The ruins of a windmill stand nearby.
Church of St. John the Baptist
The Byzantine-style Church of St. John the Baptist was built in the 11th century by the Bulgarians. It’s one of the best preserved churches in the town and measures 12 meters long by 10 meters wide. The church has no narthex.
The altar has three semicircular apses and four pillars support the dome. There are a few frescoes inside, including faded portraits of the donors on the southern wall. Admission is 4лв (as of August 2023).
Church of St. Theodore
The small Church of St. Theodore (Sveti Todor) was a Byzantine-style church built by the Bulgarians in the 13th century. It’s 8.7 meters long by 4.15 meters wide. The church has a single nave and narthex. It now serves as an art gallery.
Church of St. Paraskevi
The Byzantine-style Church of St. Paraskevi (Sveta Paraskeva) was built in the 13th or 14th century by the Bulgarians. It has a single nave and a pentagonal apse, and measures 15 x 6 meters. The dome no longer exists.
It’s not known which of the three saints named Paraskevi the church was dedicated to. The church is no longer active is now a museum. Admission is 4лв (as of August 2023).
Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel
The Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, now in ruins, was a Byzantine-style church built by the Bulgarians in the 13th or 14th century. It was a single nave church with three apses and was once topped by a dome. The church measures about 15 x 7 meters.
Church of Christ Pantocrator
Near the entrance to the peninsula, the Church of Christ Pantocrator now serves as an art gallery. It was a Byzantine-style church built in the late 13th or early 14th century by the Bulgarians. It measures about 16 x 6.9 meters and features a narthex and single nave. The ruined bell tower was built atop the narthex.
The most impressive features of the Church of Christ Pantocrator are the exterior decorations. There are inlaid turquoise ceramics, floral motifs, and swastikas. Only fragments of the frescoes remain inside.
Church of St. John Aliturgetos
Finally, the Byzantine-style church of Church of St. John Aliturgetos was built in the 14th century but was never consecrated. Legend has it that a builder fell and died during construction, and church canon would not allow a place of worship where someone had been killed. According to some records, however, services were held there.
The church measures 18.5 meters long by 10 meters wide. There were entrances on both the north and south sides, which is rare in church architecture. It was badly damaged in an earthquake in 1913.
