Dear Colleagues and Guests

The Organizing Committee of the 22nd International Congress of Byzantine Studies welcomes you to Sofia. You are cordially invited to contribute to the congress, which will be held in the main building (the Rectorate) of Sofia University. Founded in 1888, the University is situated in the historic center of our city, overlooking the Parliament, the St. Alexander Nevsky Patriarchal Cathedral, SS Cyril and Methodius National Library, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Fine Arts, and the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

Its central location places it within a short walking distance of all museums, galleries, theaters, and concert halls in the downtown area of the city. Public transportation makes the Sofia University Rectorate easily accessible for all those who will be arriving at Sofia Airport, Sofia Central Train Station, and Sofia Central Bus Station.

The main theme of the congress, Byzantium without borders, aims at exploring the role of this great empire in the medieval world and its undiminished contemporary significance. The Congress program invites the presentation of research in both traditional and novel areas.

The working languages of the Congress are English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Greek, and Bulgarian.

Congress-related exhibitions and evening events will shed additional light on the intriguing world of Byzantium. Publishers and book-sellers from all over the world will be exhibiting at the Book Fair. Souvenirs bearing the logo of the Congress will be on sale in the Congress souvenir shop.

A concert whose program includes church music from Byzantium and the Orthodox Slavic world as well Bulgarian folklore pieces will be held at the beginning of the Congress.