The Soul of Tsarevets - original soundtrack + video by @shemZee

Dear friends,
Allow me to present a visual creation born of my recent sojourn to the heights of Tsarevets in Veliko Tarnovo, BULGARIA. A synthesis of my original musical composition intertwined with familial cinematography, this production seeks to encapsulate the essence of this ancient hill.

Tsarevets, an eminent medieval stronghold nestled upon a hill of identical nomenclature in northern Bulgaria, rises proudly 206 metres (676 ft) above the sea's embrace. A bastion of fortitude, it stood as the premier fortress of the Second Bulgarian Empire from 1185 to 1393, housing within its walls the sanctified abodes of royalty and patriarchs alike.

Derived from "Tsar," denoting Emperor, its name reverberates as "the Tsar's castle," resonating with regal significance.

Atop this eminence rests the patriarchate, an expansive complex spanning an area of approximately 3,000 square metres (32,000 sq ft). The Cathedral of the Ascension of the Lord, erected upon the vestiges of a bygone late Roman basilica, underwent reconstruction in 1981 and adorned with frescoes in 1985.

These frescoes, striking in their divergence from the customary Orthodox style, adopt a modernist aesthetic, depicting not only conventional Christian motifs but also the illustrious and sorrowful chapters of the Second Bulgarian Empire.

A peculiarity to many, the presence of modernist frescoes within a sacred edifice, bereft of customary candles and altar, renders this sanctuary truly singular. Its reconstruction amid the era of Bulgaria's communist regime, where state patronage eclipsed that of the Orthodox church, birthed compositions akin to epic battle scenes, a stark departure from the established Orthodox tradition.

Behold, I humbly offer this brief visual testament, infused with my original musicality, titled "THE SOUL OF TSAREVETS":