site.btaU.S. Government Invests $700,000 to Preserve Saint John Aliturgetos Church in Nessebar

U.S. Government Invests
$700,000 to Preserve Saint John
Aliturgetos Church in Nessebar


Sofia, December 3 (BTA) - The U.S. Embassy announced that as
part of the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP),
the U.S. State Department is providing 700,000 US dollars to
preserve and conserve the 14th Century medieval church, Saint
John Aliturgetos, in the ancient city of Nessebar. Named as a
UNESCO World Heritage site, Nessebar is an outstanding example
and testimony of Bulgaria's multilayered cultural and historical
heritage, the U.S. Embassy said.

Ambassador Marcie B. Ries announced the AFCP grant on December
2.

Working with our partners, the Bulgarian National Committee of
ICOMOS and the municipality of Nessebar, the church structure
will be stabilized to prevent further destruction; the unique,
medieval sculptural decoration and architectural elements will
be conserved; and easier and safer access to the monument will
be guaranteed.

This project joins a host of others that the Embassy has
sponsored since 2002, such as the conservation of two 4th
Century Christian tombs in central Sofia; the preservation of
the 4th Century BC Thracian Tomb of Kran II in the Valley of the
Thracian Kings; the restoration of the 17th Century Kurshum
Mosque in Silistra; the preservation of 3rd Century mosaic
floors in the ancient provincial capital of Philippopolis
(modern-day Plovdiv); and the preservation of the early 19th
Century library and Mosque of Osman Pazvantoglu in Vidin.

Together these projects represent more than a 900,000 US dollar
investment in the cultural heritage of Bulgaria, said the U.S.
Embassy.

The Bulgarian National Committee of ICOMOS is an established
non-profit professional organization founded in 1964. Among its
members are experts with a long track record of experience in
the conservation and restoration of monuments. The organization
has more than 20 implemented projects in the field, funded by
internationally known institutions such as the World Monument
Fund, the UNESCO/JAPAN Trust Fund, the A.G. Leventis Foundation
and others.

Established by the U.S. Congress in the fall of 2000, the U.S.
Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation awards grants for the
preservation of cultural sites, cultural objects and
collections, and forms of traditional cultural expression such
as music, dance, and language, in more than 130 countries around
the world. Administered by the Cultural Heritage Center,
within the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs, and funded from Diplomatic and Consular
Program funds, the AFCP offers the U.S. a meaningful opportunity
to show its respect for the cultural heritage of other
countries.
PK/DD

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