The Early Christian basilica in the “Dolno Gradishte” area is one of the three episcopal centers along the Struma valley along with those in Sandanski and Krupnik.
The site in Mikrevo has been studied, with some breaks, between 1996 and 2005. It was found out that the building dated back to the 4th – 6th c. and had three construction phases. It is a three-nave basilica with an apse, narthex and baptistery. Near the baptistery, a unique finding has been made – a 4-shoulder cross inscribed in a circle. In the second phase, the floor was covered with ceramic tiles while mosaics appear in the third one around the baptistery. The walls are covered with coloured murals.
The walls were built of stones, cemented by mortar. The base of the pulpit appear in an even-shouldered cross while a part of a monogram of Jesus Christ has been found in front of the priest throne. The atrium, ex-narthex and the additional premises to the western side have been fully uncovered up to now.
Under the episcopal basilica, as well as around the location of the fortified settlement, experts have found ceramic fragments from the Iron Age. This shows that the place has been quite strategic and was inhabited since the beginning of the 1st millennium BC up to the 6th c. AD.
The closest analogue can be seen in the basilica at the town of Bargala close to Shtip, Macedonia.
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- Accessibility: Bus, train, car, bicycle, pedestrian. Inaccessible for visitors with mobility limitations. Parking- free.
- Coordinates: 41°38'35.2"N 23°10'15.0"E, 41.643111, 23.170833
- Note: Source: http://svetimesta.com
- Opening time: Free access.
