TSAR SIMEON OF BULGARIA

In the medieval period, at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries, Bulgaria achieved immense power and glory under Tsar Simeon. After fierce battles, he gained control over almost the entire Balkans and almost succeeded in conquering the Byzantine throne.

When disputes over using Latin and Slavic liturgy arose in Great Moravia in 885 after the death of Bishop Methodius, the Slavic priests were expelled and the service in the Slavic language was banned. Many of them found refuge in Bulgaria. The painting depicts several holy men in wall frescoes, including Clement of Ohrid, the first Bulgarian bishop of Slavic origin depicted in the upper left, and priests Naun and Angelari, shown in the upper right, who simplified the Glagolitic script into Cyrillic, which later evolved into the Cyrillic alphabet.

Tsar Simeon was a very educated man who supported and expanded the arts, especially literature. In 894, he declared the Bulgarian language as the state and church language. In the painting, he is depicted sitting on his throne in the palace of his residence in Veliky Preslav, overseeing the work of scribes recording the memories of elders so they would not fall into oblivion. The entire painting is richly decorated in the Byzantine style.