The U.S. Embassy is pleased to announce that as part of the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), the U.S. State Department is providing $700,000 USD to preserve and conserve the 14th Century medieval church, Saint John Aliturgetos, in the ancient city of Nessebar.
Named as a UNESCO World Heritage site, Nessebar is an outstanding example and testimony of Bulgaria’s multilayered cultural and historical heritage.
Ambassador Marcie B. Ries announced the AFCP grant on December 2, 2014.
Working with our partners, the Bulgarian National Committee of ICOMOS and the municipality of Nessebar, the church structure will be stabilized to prevent further destruction; the unique, medieval sculptural decoration and architectural elements will be conserved; and easier and safer access to the monument will be guaranteed.
This project joins a host of others that the Embassy has sponsored since 2002, such as the conservation of two 4th Century Christian tombs in central Sofia; the preservation of the 4th Century BC Thracian Tomb of Kran II in the Valley of the Thracian Kings; the restoration of the 17th Century Kurshum Mosque in Silistra; the preservation of 3rd Century mosaic floors in the ancient provincial capital of Philippoplis (modern-day Plovdiv); and the preservation of the early 19th Century library and Mosque of Osman Pazvantoglu in Vidin.
Together these projects represent more than a $900,000 USD investment in the cultural heritage of Bulgaria.
The Bulgarian National Committee of ICOMOS is an established non-profit professional organization founded in 1964. Among its members are experts with a long track record of experience in the conservation and restoration of monuments. The organization has more than 20 implemented projects in the field, funded by internationally known institutions such as the World Monument Fund, the UNSCO/JAPAN Trust Fund, the A.G. Leventis Foundation and others.
Established by the U.S. Congress in the fall of 2000, the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation awards grants for the preservation of cultural sites, cultural objects and collections, and forms of traditional cultural expression such as music, dance, and language, in more than 130 countries around the world. Administered by the Cultural Heritage Center, within the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and funded from Diplomatic and Consular Program funds, the AFCP offers the U.S. a meaningful opportunity to show its respect for the cultural heritage of other countries.
