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The ruins of the Round Church in Preslav

TheRound Churchis a large partially preservedearly medievalEastern Orthodoxchurch inPreslav,the former capital of theFirst Bulgarian Empire,today a town in northeasternBulgaria.Unearthed and first examined in 1927–28, the church dates to the early 10th century, the time ofTsarSimeon I's rule. Considered to be one of the most impressive examples of medieval Bulgarian architecture, the church takes its name from the distinctive shape of one of its three sections, thecella(naos), which is arotundathat serves as a place of liturgy. The church's design also includes a wide atrium and a rectangular entrance area, ornarthex,marked by two circular turrets. The church has been likened to examples of religious architecture from the lateRoman Empire,theCaucasus,and even theCarolingian Pre-RomanesqueofCharlemagnebecause of its characteristic plan, which is significantly different from contemporaneous Bulgarian orByzantinebuildings. The church's alternative name, the Golden Church, stems from its possible and popular identification with a "new golden church" in Preslav. The Round Church's rich interior decoration, which makes ample use of mosaics, ceramics and marble details, distinguishes it from other churches in Preslav. (more...)

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  • On this day...

    March 3:Liberation DayinBulgaria(1878);HinamatsuriinJapan

    Flag of the Free State of Fiume

  • 1284– TheStatute of Rhuddlanincorporated thePrincipality of WalesintoEngland.
  • 1875– Thefirst indoor gameofice hockeywas played at theVictoria Skating RinkinMontreal,Canada,byJames CreightonandMcGill Universitystudents.
  • 1924– TheFree State of Fiume(flag pictured),a short-lived independentfree statelocated in the modern city ofRijeka,Croatia,wasannexedby theKingdom of Italy.
  • 1943World War II:During aGermanaerial attack onLondon,England,173 people were killed in astampedewhile trying to enterBethnal Green tube station,which was being used as anair raid shelter.
  • 1951Jackie Brenston,withIke Turnerand his band, recorded "Rocket 88",often cited as" thefirst rock and roll record",atSam Phillips' recording studios inMemphis,Tennessee,US.
  • More anniversaries:March 2March 3March 4

    Today's featured picture

    Spider eyes

    The head of a femaleClynotis severusspecies ofjumping spider.The eyes of a spider are calledsimple eyes(as opposed tocompound eyes) because in each eye, a singlelenscollects and focuses light onto theretina.In this spider, the two largest eyes in the middle are the mostacute.The remainder on the sides and on the top of its head are "secondary eyes".

    Photo:JJ Harrison

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