Storgosia

During the early archaeological excavations in 1909, a badly ruined basilica was discovered further studied in the 1960s. The building has been preserved almost entirely at the level of its foundations, and part of its reconstruction is grounded on the assumptions of the researchers.

The basilica is a monumental edifice (45.25 x 22.20 m) – one of the largest discovered so far in Bulgaria. Two building stages have been registered. It was originally three-nave with one semicircular apse, with a single-parted narthex from the west and a portico with a colonnade in the Roman-Corinthian order. In height, its stone walls had brick belts. The central nave was covered with a saddleback tiled roof, and the side aisles – with a pent roof each. In plan, the basilica belongs to the Hellenistic type of Early Christian temples and was constructed in the 4th century.

The basilica was burned down during an invasion of the Huns in the 5th century. with its restoration in the 6th century two apses were added to the side aisles and a complex altar was formed, responding to the changes that occurred in the church service of Early Byzantium. The interior was completed with an openwork marble altar screen and a pulpit. The colonnade had Corinthian capitals, architraves and cornices with floral decoration. The walls were decorated with multicolored mosaics composed of tesserae of smalt, stone and terracotta.

During the archaeological research in 1909, still another Early Christian basilica was discovered at the northern foot of Storgosia Fortress. It has been partially explored because it falls under a road, and its eastern part has been carried away by the nearby Tuchenitsa River. According to its researcher K. Valev, parts of the building were destroyed and rebuilt in different ways, which changed its plan. It had three aisles, but only its southern apse (facing south) with an additional room has been revealed.

The greatest attention during the study of the basilica was given to the mosaic on its floor. It was preserved on an area of about 40 sq. m and was composed of tesserae of marble, limestone and terracotta in red, dark blue, white, and less often gray and green. They were arranged in square panels, in which diagonally arranged circles and squares with different fillings alternate. The squares contained a Solomon’s Knot, a six-pointed star of triangles, a rosette, and intricate braids. The circles featured a Maltese cross, a four-pointed star, a circular figure of four pelts and a circle with a cruciform quatrefoil rosette, cross figures of four heart-shaped ornaments, an X-shaped rosette with inscribed Solomon’s Knot and a scaly pattern in the fields.

A liturgical text in Latin has been preserved after the net of square panels: INTROLIBO AD ALTAREM DEI (AD D)EUM QU (I LAE)T (IFICA)T (JUVENTUTEM MEAM), or translated: I call into the altar of God to Him Who loved my youth. In the westernmost part of the whole composition, arches with inscribed chrysms and the letters A and W were presented. A fragment of another inscription was also discovered: … I ALI VSI VSSAL. Due to incomplete research and the poor condition of the basilica, its dating is based on the mosaic alone. The Latin inscriptions directed its researchers to the 4th – 6th centuries. However, thanks to some of the features of the mosaic, this period can be specified to the first half of the 5th century (V. Popova-Moroz).

The Late Antique Storgosia ceased to exist in the late 6th – early 7th century.

In addition to the Christian churches presented in the region of Pleven, a monastery dedicated to St. George is also known. It is not necessary for the present project to deal with the problems connected with it, but the question of its dating should be mentioned. It certainly functioned in the 16th – 18th centuries, but the date of its construction is not yet clear. According to local legends, it is significantly earlier.

VENKO IVANOV AND KATYA MELAMED