“St. George” Church is situated in the southwestern part of Kyustendil, in the neighbourhood of Kolusha (the medieval village of Kolasia).
It is the most ancient preserved medieval church in Kyustendil. According to its architectural features and the recently discovered medieval frescoes, the church dates back to 10th-11th centuries.
It is assumed that the grave of the Bulgarian Tsar Mihail III Shishman, who was killed in the battle of Velbazhd in 1330, might be here. In the 19th century the church was razed to the foundations of the vault arches by the Ottomans. In 1878-1880 it was reconstructed.
The medieval frescoes are rare records carrying the typical features of the stately Byzantium art of painting in Bulgaria. The frescoes from the Revival period expand our knowledge about the Bulgarian church art of painting from that period. The church is of great historical, artistic and architectural importance. The church is an cultural monument of national significance.
