Novae Svishtov
The site of Novae is situated on the southern bank of the Danube, near the present-day town of Svishtov, on the main road to Ruse. The Novae Roman military camp was founded in the 1st century in the present day northern Bulgaria, then part of the Roman province of Moesia, when most of the buildings and structures have been built – the headquarters Principia of the legion, the dwellings of the high officers, situated to the north of them, one of the biggest military hospitals in Roman Empire, covering 6000 sq m, the legionary baths, monumental defensive walls and towers, residential and religious buildings, and workshops…. During the reign of Emperor Trajan, the legio I Italica has been permanently settled in the Novae military base, and later the elite legions of Emperor Vespasiyan, from where they were supposed to guard the borders of the Roman Empire from the barbarian incursions.
Gradually the Novae Roman Fortress was enlarged and transformed into a town and episcopal center. Numerous attacks on the town of Novea over the years caused several restoration campaigns. The prominence of the Novae into the early Byzantine period is evident in the range of preserved buildings, as well as the numerous artifacts found on site—including bronze statues, glass vessels, ceramics, and coins, as well as wall paintings. The remains of a huge episcopal complex from the 5th – 6th centuries were discovered. Rich murals of the Roman tomb include geometric, animal and human figures, hunting scenes, a couple and their attendants. At the end of the 5th century the Nove was a residence of the Ostrogothi chieftain Theodoric Amal – Theodoric the Great, to be abandoned in the 6th century. In the territory of Municipality Svishtov there are presently 120 official archaeological, art, and architectural monuments of culture of local and national significance.
