Turnovo: Principles and means of constructing the sacral topography of a medieval Bulgarian capital

This paper presents the principles and means of constructing the identity and sacral topography of Trnovo as the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire (XII-XIV centuries). The image of Trnovo as the ideal city, one whose fate is (pre)destined by Divine Providence, is constructed by employing a number of hierotopic instruments - texts of different genres, reliquary programs and spatial disposition of churches and monasteries in the city and its immediate environs as well as on elements of visual culture. This endeavor relies on the (universal) model of the capital of the Byzantine Empire Constantinople, as well as on that set by Preslav, the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire.