Location: Sofia and Western Bulgaria, Bulgaria

Period(s) of Occupation: Late Medieval period (fourteenth to seventeenth century)

Season Dates:  Core Field School Project:12 – 26 May 2012; Extended Field School Project: 12 May to 2 June, 2012
Application Deadline: March 31, 2012

Website: http://www.bhfieldschool.org

Program Type: Field school, Volunteer

Affiliation: Balkan Heritage Field School/Foundation (BH) - Bulgaria, New Bulgarian University (NBU) - Bulgaria and Queen's University - Canada

Project Description: The decline of Bulgarian and Byzantine Empires in the fourteenth century, raise and fall of Serbian Kingdom (an Empire between 1346-1371), Ottoman conquest  of South-eastern Europe and the apogee of Ottoman power between the second half of fourteenth and the end of seventeenth century highlight the Balkan Late Medieval Period. Churches and chapels to be visited and studied were built during these turbulent times in one of the few Balkan areas where the traditions of all the major Balkan Late Medieval Art Schools and Guilds (those of Constantinople, Veliko Tarnovo, Ohrid, Thessaloniki, the Athos Holy Mountain, Epirus, Creta and the Danubain principalities) met. What we see today from the once flourishing medieval Orthodox art in the area are just small chapels and churches that survived the “disastrous” Ottoman invasion in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Many of these monuments characterized by humble architecture often hide exquisite frescoes behind their unattractive exterior. Most of them have been abandoned long ago. There are visible damages due to both hostile acts of Muslims (in the period of Ottoman domination: fifteenth to nineteenth century.) and/or weather conditions ruining them after they were abandoned.

This project aims to support the documentation of medieval frescoes preserved in the churches and chapels in remote areas of Western Bulgaria. For the last four years the “Fresco-Hunting” Photo Expedition has upgraded the existing database of drawn and photographic  records of nine churches and chapels in Western Bulgaria. The task of the expedition envisioned for 2012 is to enhance the database created during the previous seasons by documenting frescoes and their condition as well as collecting new data on history, architecture, artefacts and environment of the ecclesiastical buildings they belong to. The objective of all this is: the publication of a ‘Corpus of Medieval Frescoes from Western Bulgaria’ and development of further projects to support the sites in danger through conservation, restoration, development/improvement of the site's management and fund-raising.

The field school project comprises of two parts:

1. Core Field School Project (12 - 26 May, 2012):

2. Extended project stage (27 May - 2 June, 2012):

Note, the fieldwork will involve travel to the church sites (app. 60-80 km away from Bankya)! Transport will be arranged by BH Field School.

The project will admit participants to:

• the Core Field School Project from 12 to 26 May, 2012
• the Extended Field School Project from 12 May to 2 June, 2012. Participants, who attend the Extended Project may negotiate participation in further Balkan Heritage publications.

The project is not recommended for individuals with special illnesses that might exacerbate during the intensive outdoor activities. All participants are expected to bring individual digital cameras. The participants are encouraged to bring a laptop having at least 5 GB free disk space, a mouse and an USB flash drive.

Cost: Admission fee for the Core Project/Extended Project: 1399 / 2099 EUR (app.1900 / 2850 USD but check current exchange rates!) including educational and fieldwork activities, full-board accommodation (hotel + 3 meals per day), tools, materials, Project Handbook, issue of Certificate of Attendance, excursions/sightseeing tours/entrance fees and administrative costs. Discounts are available for AIA members, BHFS alumni, in case of early registration or participation in more than 1 BHFS project in 2012!

Academic Credit: The New Bulgarian University grants to students 6 credits for participation in one project session (Core Field School Project) and 9 credits for participation in two sessions (Extended Project). Transcripts are available upon request for an additional tuition fee!