Byzantine Fortress

Tuesday July 10th

Before we left Veliko Tarnovo we had a tour of the fortress at the top of the cliffs. It was a hot climb that we weren’t expecting but it was worth it. The scenery was stunning and the ruins, I think from the Byzantine Empire were very interesting. I enjoyed exploring them. I thought this memorial gravestone plaque made a cool cornerstone. Particularly amazing was the Orthodox cathedral at the very top. The inside was spectacularly moving. The walls were all painted in kind of 60’s 70’s style art depicting characters in pain and suffering mostly. Various bible stories were evident. The art tells the stories of the struggles Bulgarians faced over the centuries through many wars. It was interesting to see those stories told through biblical stories. For example, one fresco looked like the Lazarus story. The pain was quite evident on the character’s faces carrying and mourning the dead body. It was neat to see how the artist used the bible stories to depict the pain of his/her people. The resurrection fresco was impressive. Difficult to describe though, it included body parts and a red, newly risen sun. It made me think of the song “The Body is one with many parts, the parts are many, the body is one…” We sang in that church. We stood in the middle of the little sanctuary and sang the Sanctus from the mass we’ve been singing. It was very powerful. For that moment in time I felt the pain and suffering ease away. The sound filled every part and swirled around, enveloping us all.