Excavations Unveil One of Five Most Important Temples for Bulgarian Archaeology

Excavations works on the new sewage system in Silistra unveiled what specialists believe will turn out to be one of the five most important temples for the Bulgarian archaeology.

The remains of the medieval church were discovered during the construction of the new water purification system, private bTV stations informs.

A quarter of a century ago, archaeologists discovered episcopal patriarchal basilica on the banks of the Danube river possessing all the attributes characteristic of a cathedral temple.

None of the specialists expected that another patriarchal church can be located ninety metres away from the first one.

Both of the churces date back to the time of the First Bulgarian Empire.

According to the archaeologist from the Regional Historical Museum in Silistra, Georgi Atanasov, the two churches functioned jointly for a long period of time.

The practice of episcopal centres to have two temples is known from the times of early Christianity.

Thirty graves have also been uncovered at the site, which will shed further light on the discovery.

The ratio between children and adults found in the graves was 50:50, which hinted of high child mortality at the time.

Atanasov assured that the ruins were not those of an ordinary town church, but rather the mother-temple of the Bulgarian patriachate, where the throne of the first Bulgarian patriarchs was located.

After carrying out careful explorations, the newly discovered temple will be conserved and covered in anticipation of future specialists and solid funding.