Image:Nesebar-stara-mitropoliya-lazarov.JPG

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After Christianity was declared the official religion of the Roman Empire, six basilicas were built in Mesembria (Nessebar). The remains of two: the Old Metropolitan Church and the Basilica on the Shore are dated to the 5th-6th centuries AD. Situated in what is believed to have been the site of the ancient agora (the main square and market place), this impressive three-aisled basilica is one of the most remarkable and comparatively well-preserved monuments of Early Byzantine church building in Bulgaria. Dated to the 6th c. AD, it is probably the oldest and most mysterious building in the town. It is thought to have been the principal church of Nessebar until the 15th c. The remains still remind of the its original design and former grandeur. It has the features of a typical basilica - a three-aisled structure with a single apse to the east and a three sectioned narthex to the west. The nave dominated the aisles, which were initially separated by columns and after some reconstruction in the 9th and 10th c. - by tall stone walls. Two rows of archways placed one above the other were cut into the walls. The space between the nave and the large apse is occupied by a stage, which must have been used not only for worship but also as a place where matters of importance to the town were discussed. The huge arch of the apse was framed with bricks, as were the openings of all arches. It was built of mixed masonry - stripes of undressed stone and bricks, joined with red mortar. There is no plastic decoration whatsoever. Nothing but traces of ornamental mural paintings have been found on the apse. The floor used to be covered with mosaic. A small fragment from an older building was used in the masonry. The inscription reads: "may my call reach thee."

Description	Nesebar, Bulgaria
Source	http://www.imagesfrombulgaria.com/
Date	August-September 2006
Author	Nenko Lazarov
Permission (Reusing this image)	Attribution 2.5

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