site.btaArchaeologists Discover Church of Theodosius of Tarnovo Monastery near Samovodene

A church, part of the monastery of Theodosius of Tarnovo, was discovered during an archeological expedition near the village of Samovodene in Veliko Tarnovo Region on Wednesday. 

According to its architectural characteristics, the church is a Hesychasian monastery built in the 14th century under the patronage of Tsar Ivan Alexander with the most brilliant monuments from the era of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom, said Prof Vachev from the Veliko Tarnovo Regional History Museum, who led the expedition.

Theodosius of Tarnovo was a medieval Bulgarian intellectual, reformer and teacher of St. Patriarch Euthymius. Connecting the results of the archaeological research with the data from the Life of Theodosius of Tarnovo written by Ecumenical Patriarch Callistus, archaeologists believe that the revealed church is the main temple of the monastery, whose abbot was Theodosius of Tarnovo.

As written in the biography, after 1359, Theodosius decided to retire into seclusion and Tsar Ivan Alexander built him a "nice" church, not far from the capital Tarnovo. "The key point is the word nice, and what we found as architectural remains definitely shows a nice church," said Prof Vachev. 

The other important point is that the biography states that the king personally participated in the construction of the church, bringing sand from the nearby river. As the biography mentions the distance between the river and the church, the archaeologists established that the distance from the Yantra River to the alleged archaeological site was 552 meters before the start of the expedition. "This is also definitive proof that this is the monastery of Theodosius of Tarnovo", said Prof Vachev.

Among the finds are also a bronze cross, a communion spoon from the 14th century, and a case for castings that dates from the 18th century. "I hope Metropolitan Gregory of Veliko Tarnovo will bless our undertaking, because it is in celebration of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church," said Prof Vachev. The discovered wall-painting remains and the architectural details were conserved.

The archaeologists noted that during the next archeological expedition, it is very possible to discover the grave of the Bulgarian saint and abbot of the monastery Saint Roman of Tarnovo, who was the closest associate of Theodosius of Tarnovo. According to historical records, he suffered from tuberculosis at the end of his days, which can be established by anthropologists from the bone remains, Prof Vachev pointed out.

The studies of the monastery complex were financed by the Veliko Tarnovo Municipality and donors.