Zahari Zograf and the Samokov school of icon painting

About Zahari Zograf and the Samokov school of icon painting

By the ULTIMATE Sofia Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Zahari Zograf (1810–1853), from the town of Samokov south of Sofia, was the most celebrated painter of the Bulgarian National Revival, and his frescoes at Rila, Bachkovo, Troyan and the Transfiguration Monastery near Veliko Tarnovo mix sacred scenes with lively, very human detail.

Samokov, a town of painters

In the 19th century, the mountain town of Samokov, about an hour south of Sofia, was home to families of icon painters and woodcarvers who worked in churches and monasteries across Bulgaria. Their workshops are known as the Samokov school.

Zahari Zograf

Zahari Zograf was the son of a painter and the brother of another, Dimitar Zograf. Over a short life he painted some of the finest church interiors of the period, including large parts of the main church at Rila Monastery, the ossuary church at Bachkovo, Troyan Monastery and the Transfiguration Monastery near Veliko Tarnovo.

Zograf’s sinners wear the fashions of his own century.

What makes his work special

Zograf painted in the Orthodox tradition, but his scenes are full of life: bright colours, expressive faces, and, in his Last Judgements and Wheels of Life, sinners dressed in the clothes of 19th-century townspeople. He signed his work and painted himself, unusual for a church painter of his time, and he is seen as a bridge between medieval icon painting and modern Bulgarian art.

Where to see icons in Sofia

The Museum of Christian Art in the crypt of St Alexander Nevsky holds one of the country’s finest icon collections, from medieval times to the Revival. For Zograf’s own frescoes, the nearest great example is Rila Monastery, a day trip from Sofia.

Our advice: see the icon collection in the crypt of Alexander Nevsky first, then visit Rila Monastery and look closely at the outer gallery of the main church, where the Revival painters, Zograf among them, let their imagination run free.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Zahari Zograf and the Samokov school of icon painting before you go.