Church & monasteryNorthern Bulgaria & the Danube

The Great Basilica of Pliska, the Giant Cathedral of Bulgaria's First Capital

The Great Basilica of Pliska is a ruined religious complex of cathedral, archbishop's palace and monastery in Pliska, the first capital of the First Bulgarian Empire. Built on the orders of Prince Boris I after the country's conversion in 864 and finished around 875, it counts among the largest churches of its age. The site rewards history lovers who want to see where Christian Bulgaria began.

A cross-shaped building under the altar is still a riddle: pagan temple, saint's shrine or burial place of Bulgarian khans? Over it, Bulgaria raised a church almost 100 metres long.

WherePliska, first capital of Bulgaria, in north-eastern Bulgaria, within the Pliska National Historical and Archaeological Reserve

TypeRuined 9th-century basilica, archbishop's residence and monastery

Best forHistory and archaeology fans interested in early medieval Bulgaria and the Christianisation of the country

Getting thereBy road; the sights of Shumen, such as the Tombul Mosque and the fortress, lie about 23 to 25 km away

The history of the Great Basilica of Pliska

Pliska was the first capital of the First Bulgarian Empire. Tradition says Khan Asparuh founded it in the late 7th century, but archaeology does not support this: the place began as an encampment, and there is no evidence of a settlement before the 9th century. By the early 9th century it was ringed by a defensive wall, and an outer earthwork with stone revetment, 21 km long, enclosed 2,300 hectares. In 811 a Byzantine army led by Emperor Nikephoros I sacked and burned the city. It was rebuilt under Omurtag (814–831), who used stone from nearby Roman buildings and gave his new palace a plan inspired by Late Antiquity.

Everything changed when Prince Boris I was baptised in 864. The religious buildings of Pliska were adapted for Christian use, and the Great Basilica was raised on his orders, finished around 875. It was a whole complex of cathedral, archbishop's residence and monastery, protected by a crenellated stone wall more than four metres high. The church was roughly 100 metres long and 30 metres wide, covering some 2,900 square metres; sources give slightly different measurements, from 99 to 102.5 metres in length. In the ninth century it ranked among the largest Christian churches anywhere, and Bulgarian sources call it the largest basilica of medieval Europe.

The basilica stands on the site of an older cross-shaped building whose purpose is still debated. Stancho Vaklinov saw in it an unknown kind of Bulgar pagan temple. Another view holds that it was an early Christian martyrium with a holy spring, linked to Boyan Enravota, the first Bulgarian martyr, executed around 832, and destroyed during the failed pagan rebellion of 865. A third theory, by the architect Boyadzhiev, sees a mausoleum of the Bulgarian khans. Excavations in the 1970s also showed that the basilica had been rebuilt and that traces of another basilica and the foundations of a pagan temple lie beneath it.

The archbishop's residence lay in the yards north and south of the church. In the north yard stood a residential building with a bath heated by hypocaust, and in the south a three-part building housing a school and a scriptorium. Here the disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius, received by Boris I in 886, probably worked and laid the foundations of the Pliska–Preslav literary school. The monastery had a kitchen, a refectory, a two-storey building with ten identical cells, a large well and a second bath. A monks' cemetery lay to the south-west, and a graveyard of nobles in front of the apse.

When Tsar Simeon I founded a new capital at Preslav, Pliska was slowly abandoned. Byzantine commanders captured it at the turn of the second millennium, in the campaigns of Emperor Basil II that ended the First Bulgarian Empire. The basilica was discovered and studied in 1899 by the archaeologists Karel Škorpil and Fyodor Uspensky. In 2019 a national committee was set up to promote its restoration.

Curious facts about the Great Basilica of Pliska

Under the altar lies a cross-shaped building that researchers have read as a pagan temple, a saint's shrine or a mausoleum of khans.
At about 100 metres long, the basilica was among the largest Christian churches in the world in the ninth century.
The monastery wing held a two-storey building with ten identical monastic cells.
Two baths heated by hypocaust, a Roman-style underfloor heating system, served the residence and monastery.
A wall more than four metres high with battlements protected the whole religious complex.
The tradition that Khan Asparuh founded Pliska has no archaeological support; there is no evidence of a settlement before the 9th century.

Tours near Great Basilica, Pliska

Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:

Discover cliffs and myths of Bulgarian Northern Black Sea coast

★ 5 (36 reviews) · 8 h

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E-Motorcycle Tour in Old Rock Monastery and Old Roman Fortress

★ 5 (11 reviews) · 2 h

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Private Exploration: French Influence in Varna + Walking + Wine tasting tour

★ 5 (8 reviews) · 4 h

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Stone Forest and Aladzha Monastery Experience

★ 5 (6 reviews) · 4.5 h

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Visiting the Great Basilica of Pliska

The basilica lies in the Pliska National Historical and Archaeological Reserve, around the first capital of Bulgaria. Expect archaeological remains and foundations rather than a standing church.
Look for the layout of the apse, the yards of the archbishop's residence and the monastery, and the cross-shaped base beneath the altar.
Restoration of the basilica has been discussed in recent years, so conditions on the site may change; check the current opening hours and visiting conditions before you go.
Other places within roughly 25 to 40 km include the Tombul Mosque and the fortress in Shumen, the Palace of Omurtag and the Round Church in Preslav.

Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.

Map: where Great Basilica, Pliska is

Photos of Great Basilica, Pliska

Questions

What is the Great Basilica of Pliska?

It is a ruined complex of cathedral, archbishop's residence and monastery in Pliska, the first capital of Bulgaria. It was built on the orders of Prince Boris I after the conversion of the country in 864 and finished around 875.

How big was the Great Basilica in Pliska?

It was roughly 100 metres long and 30 metres wide, among the largest Christian churches of the 9th century. Sources give a length of between 99 and 102.5 metres.

What lies beneath the Great Basilica?

An older cross-shaped building. Researchers have called it a pagan temple, an early Christian martyrium linked to Boyan Enravota, or a mausoleum of the khans. Its purpose is still debated.

Who built the Great Basilica of Pliska?

Prince Boris I ordered it after his baptism in 864, as part of the Christianisation of Bulgaria. The monastery attached to it received disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius.

Why was Pliska abandoned?

After Tsar Simeon I founded Preslav as the new capital, Pliska was slowly abandoned. It was captured by the Byzantines around the year 1000, during the campaigns that ended the First Bulgarian Empire.

What else is worth seeing near the Great Basilica of Pliska?

Within about 25 to 40 km are the Tombul Mosque and the fortress in Shumen, the Palace of Omurtag and the Round Church in Preslav.