The Museum of Byzantine Culture warmly welcomes the exhibition Images from the Thracian Coasts of the Black Sea, which is the culmination of the collaboration between the European Centre of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments, the National Gallery of Art of Sofia, and our Museum.

The Black Sea was of great strategic importance to the Byzantine Empire, with its Thracian coasts serving as an extension of the vital space of Constantinople. Although this area experienced demographic shifts, at times part of the empire and at other times not, it is a fact that the spiritual and artistic brilliance of Byzantium had a profound influence on the culture of the peoples of the region.

This influence is due to two significant factors: the Christianization of the peoples and the creation of the Slavic alphabet, both of which are achievements of Byzantine policy and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The 52 images in the exhibition, which come from the Thracian coasts of the Black Sea, Nessebar, Sozopol, Varna, Agathopolis, and Vasiliko, serve as witnesses to this influence and are presented for the first time to the Greek public.

Our Museum encourages and aims to implement programs that seek to highlight aspects of Byzantine culture, particularly its relations with neighboring peoples. We feel justified when the outcome of a long collaboration is a happy ending. In this spirit, we will continue our efforts in the future.

SUZANNA HOULIA-KAPELONI, Head of the Museum of Byzantine Culture

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