More Early Byzantine Terracotta Icons Discovered at Vinica Fortress in Macedonia
BalkanTravellers.com
The Christian motives on the icons, which date to the fourth to the sixth centuries, confirm that the site was an important religious centre in the past, the Vecher newspaper reported.
As BalkanTravellers.com wrote in March, the Viničko Kale site, located in the eastern part of Macedonia, is known for the sixth and seventh-century terracotta icons, first discovered by archaeologists in the 1980s and described as unique samples of early Byzantine sacral art on the Balkans and Europe. Before this latest find, the number of excavated icons reached about 15 scenes, 50 intact and 100 fragments, most of them dedicated to Biblical scenes.
They are currently part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Macedonia in Skopje, but an initiative seeks to build a museum in Vinica to house the icons.
The construction of a museum in Vinica, along with research and conservation of the site, is to be covered by the funds provided by the government, Pasko Kuzman, Director of the Cultural Heritage Protection Bureau, told Vecher.
As BalkanTravellers.com reported, the site received financial support of 160,000 euro in March.
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excellent smugs
