Catholic churches and necropolises in the Bulgarian lands in the 15^th—17^th centuries
Католически църкви и некрополи в българските земи през ХV—ХVІІ век
Language: Bulgarian with summary in English

   The Ottoman conquest of the Balkans interrupted the natural historical development of the Bulgarian nation for a long time and put an end to the Medieval Bulgarian state. Under these circumstances, the cultural development of the Bulgarian people had to inevitably follow the social and cultural processes in the Ottoman Empire. For centuries, this had been a culture of a community deprived of freedom. This is particulary noticeable in the architectureal design of the public buildgins of the Bulgarians, mainly churches and monasteries. Its specific features after the conquest evolve from the fat that it is an expression of the Christian religion within a Muslim state. The requirements regarding the construction of Christian churches were regulated in a number of official Ottoman document. During certain periods coinciding with changes in the domestic politics of the Empire, there were a number of restrictions introduced through administrative and economic measures. This is especially easy to perceive during the early centuries of the Ottoman dominaion and is equally valid for all the Christian communities in the Bulgarian lands at that time. This conclusion was drawn above all from the  numerous studies focusing on the construction and architecture of Orthodox churches. During this period alond with the Orthodox population, there were Catholics living in the Bulgarian lands. To meet their religious needs the members of the Dubrovnik colonies, the population of the Chiprovtsi region and Catholicized Paulicians in quite a few settlements situated to the north and to the south of the Balkan Mountain also erected, decorated and maintained cult buildings.The requirements regarding the construction of Christian churches were regulated in a number of official Ottoman document. During certain periods coinciding with changes in the domestic politics of the Empire, there were a number of restrictions introduced through administrative and economic measures. This is especially easy to perceive during the early centuries of the Ottoman dominaion and is equally valid for all the Christian communities in the Bulgarian lands at that time. This conclusion was drawn above all from the numerous studies focusing on the construction and architecture of Orthodox churches. During this period alond with the Orthodox population, there were Catholics living in the Bulgarian lands. To meet their religious needs the members of the Dubrovnik colonies, the population of the Chiprovtsi region and Catholicized Paulicians in quite a few settlements situated to the north and to the south of the Balkan Mountain also erected, decorated and maintained cult buildings. This is distinctly recognizable during the period from the 15th to the 17th centuries — a time when Catholicism gradually and ever more pervasively penetrated the Bulgarian lands. So far there has been no comprehensive study of the structure and architecture of the Catholic churches used in the early centuries of the Ottoman domination. This monograph represents an attemept to fill this gap. Given the fact that no Catholic church has been preserved to date, the main sources of information are thre written documents from the period and the results of the archaeological excavations.

Table of contents 

Въведение

Глава I. Условия и фактори за католическо църковно строителство

Глава ІІ. Католически храмове в българските земи през XV—XVII век

Храмово строителство в дубровнишките колонии

Католически църкви и манастири в северозападните български земи

Католическо църковно строителство в павликянските селища в северните български земи

Католическо храмово строителство в южните български земи

Глава III. Архитектура и интериорни решения на храмовете

Дубровнишките католически храмове

Католическите храмове в Чипровския регион

Католическите храмове в павликянските селища

Глава IV. Некрополите

Заключителни думи

Използвана литература

Резюме на английски език. Catholic churches and necropolises in the Bulgarian lands in the 15th—17th centuries

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