Roman Tomb, Silistra, Bulgaria

The Roman Tomb of Silistra, located in northeastern Bulgaria, is an exceptionally well-preserved burial tomb dating back to the mid-4th century AD. It represents a significant architectural monument from the Ancient Roman city of Durostorum. Notable for its extensive and high-quality interior frescoes, the tomb is considered a key monument in late antique art in Bulgaria and the Balkans.

The tomb, likely commissioned by a pagan owner, predates the influence of Christianity in Silistra. Its construction probably took place before Theodosius I's persecution of Roman paganism and the Gothic invasion of Durostorum in 376–378. Discovered in 1942 on the southern outskirts of Silistra, the tomb has been on UNESCO's Tentative List of World Heritage Sites since 1984.

The stone tomb, with a single burial chamber, features multi-colored mural paintings covering its interior. The frescoes depict a procession of servants on the northern, southern, and eastern walls, while the western wall portrays the master and his wife. The tomb's decoration includes a frieze with 11 panels illustrating slaves presenting gifts to the masters, along with hunting scenes, candlesticks, and various plants and animals. Despite the city's turbulent history, the Roman Tomb of Silistra stands as a unique example of art and life in the outer regions of the Roman Empire during the 4th century.

References:

Wikipedia

Address

7-mi septemvri 53, Silistra, Bulgaria

See all sites in Silistra

Details

Founded: c. 350 AD
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Bulgaria

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
whc.unesco.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Durostorum (1,5 km)
Medjidi Tabia Fortress (1,4 km)

Palmatis Fortress (40,9 km)

User Reviews

Тодор Тодоров (2 years ago)
Let the citizens of the city of Silistra, be able to enter the Roman Tomb. Only guests from Japan cannot enter

Христофор Христов (6 years ago)
Unfortunately, the original drawings cannot be seen because they are in a special room where constant temperature and humidity are maintained, these are reproductions.

Marina Plamenova Georgieva (6 years ago)
Great ancient architecture

Stefan Nikolov (8 years ago)
Very well preserved with excellently preserved frescoes. I don't know if it is currently open. It can be understood in the historical museum on "Simeon the Great" street

Vesko Vasilev (9 years ago)
The museum said it is only open in the warmer months because of the installations, which maintain a conservation environment for the murals.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.

Roman Tomb