The ‘Saint Dimiter’ church is situated under the north-eastern slope of Trapezica, at the right coast of Yantra river, This is the oldest and precious dated middle age church in Turnovgrad. This temple is related to the manifestation of the rebel of the Bulgarians during the 1185 under the rule of the boyars Peter and Asen for rejecting the Byzantian domination. After the successful end of the rebel and the restoring of the Bulgarian Kingdom, the church probably has been reformed into King’s one. Here are crowned the first possessors of the Asen’s dynasty- Peter, Asen, Kaloyan. Little bit later, at the end of XVII century and the beginning of XVII century, toward the church has been constructed and monastery. Dated to this buildings are the archaeological finds after 1971, four big buildings , situated toward the east, west and south directions. The church “ Saint Dimiter” and the monastery survive to the third quarter of XIII when they are demolished, probably by earth shake. Later, during the XV century with materials from the demolished church, southern to her has been erected another church, which is on the basements of the southern monastery building. After the destroying of the “Saint Dimiter” church and the monastery around during the second half of the XIV century, here has been created big Christiandom necropolis, that survive until the XX century, There are explored and investigated more that 500 funerals by this necropolis, all the finds and rests are preserved at ossuary in the northern part f the yard.
At the end of XVIII and the beginning of XIX century, the church “Saint Dimiter” has been robbed by Kirdjalii. Short descriptions of the church during the XIX we got from doctor Vasil Beron, doctor Hristo Dascalov, Felix Kaniz and more. During the second half of the XIX century, the church has been strongly damaged and the eart shake from 1913 totally destroys church’s building.Only the apse with fragments from the original mural paintings along the two niches.
First archaeological excavations have been made during the 1906-1921 from the V. Turnovo archaeological society at the narthex and the yard of the church. Fully excavation works and studies began in 1971 with director of the studies Y.Nikolova and M.Robov, The results explores building techniques and achievements of the time- the plan of the church is cleared, the building periods and her deep outside decorative decoration. The church is single apsed, with narthex and altar. The apse has five walls, The outside decorative ornaments have been made with alternation of stones, mortar’s welding and bricks, amplified by the wall up four-leaved orifices and bowls thick with variegated glaze. The interior has been decorated with murals. There are two preserved two layers with pictorial incrustations at the altarus. Many materials from excavation works shows that the church “Saint Dimiter” and the monastery has been very important for the spiritual and the enlightenment of the capital Turnovgrad.
The reconstruction and the authentic restoration began in 1977 under the archaeological studies of Yanka Nikolova and under the project of Teofil Teoflilov. This is restoration of obect with unidentified graphic archetype. The temple “ Saint Dimiter” has been opened as museum at 1985 in order of the celebration of 800 years from the rebel of Peter and Asen against the Byzantian enslaver and the promulgation of Turnovgrad for capital of the restored Bulgarian Kingdom.

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