THE HOUSE OF DIMITAR LASKARIDIS
Continuity of Time, Memory, and Presence
The Dimitar Laskaridis House stands as a witness to time — not as a reconstructed image of the past, but as a living space in which life has never been interrupted. Built in the 18th–19th century and preserved within the same family for six generations, it remains a home where memory is not an exhibit, but a legacy.
Continuity
Since 1876, the house has been the lawful property of the Laskaridis family — owners of fishing weirs, fish merchants, and boat builders — certified by a notarial deed from the time of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. The history of the house is inseparable from the history of the family: both its ownership and its function have remained unchanged. What has been preserved is not a reconstruction of the past, but its living continuity, carried through generations.
Architectural Heritage
Located in the historic center of Sozopol, the house is a recognized architectural monument of cultural heritage. Its value lies in restraint and preservation, not in transformation. The two-story structure, with a stone basement and a projecting southwest façade supported by carved wooden columns, bears the spirit of National Revival architecture, naturally integrated into the urban fabric.
Beneath the House
Beneath the house, time unfolds in depth. Here lie the archaeological remains of the Old Metropolis — the largest and most representative church of medieval Sozopol, active from the 10th to the 17th century. The altar remains of the basilica today exist within the space of LASKARIDI Art Gallery — a place where sacred presence remains alive.
The medieval church was built upon even deeper cultural layers: a Late Antique stratum from the 4th–6th century, dated through coin finds of Roman emperors, as well as Hellenistic traces — coins of Apollonia from the 4th–3rd century BC. Over the centuries, a complete cult complex took shape here, encompassing an ancient sanctuary, an early Christian basilica, and a later medieval church — used continuously from antiquity to the present day.
The House Today
Today, the Dimitar Laskaridis House continues to exist simultaneously as a family home and a cultural space. History, architecture, and contemporary presence do not stand in opposition but coexist. This is a place where time is not broken, but ongoing.
