Church of St Demetrius, Patalenitsa, Medieval Orthodox church in Patalenitsa, Bulgaria.
The Church of St Demetrius is a stone building with crossed-dome architecture located in the village of Patalenitsa. Its interior preserves fresco fragments that date to the 12th and 13th centuries.
The church was built between the 11th and 14th centuries, with stone inscriptions suggesting initial construction around 1091. Local people buried it underground during the Ottoman period to protect the building.
The interior walls display preserved fresco fragments depicting biblical scenes and saints that reflect medieval Bulgarian artistic traditions. These paintings give visitors a sense of how religious art was created and valued during that period.
The church sits at 370 meters above sea level and can be reached by walking trails near Pazardzhik Municipality. Access is on foot or with local transport, so ask locals for directions to the site.
Local people intentionally buried the building underground to save it from destruction during Ottoman rule. It was not uncovered again until sometime in the 1800s.
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