SHISHMANOVO KALE FORTRESS NEAR SAMOKOV (Veselin Hadzhiangelov – vhajiangelov@yahoo.com) The excavations of the Early Byzantine church continued. It is a single-nave basilica, 16 m by 6.25 m in size, with a chapel adjoining its southern wall and measuring 8.75 m by 3.50 m. The walls are 60 cm in thickness and are built in opus mixtum. Four buttresses were constructed radially alongside the apse. Presumably, there was a second floor in the western part of the church. Fragmentary wall plaster with painted decoration was found on the floor of room No. 3. A synthrone, which was additionally constructed and was plastered with mortar similarly to the church floor, was discovered. The basilica entrance is on the southern wall and is 1.50 m in width. It is situated against the southern entrance (2.20 m in width) of the narthex. Room No. 3, measuring 5 m by 2.50 m, was explored in the western part of the church. Two bronze coins minted by Justinian I and Justin II, which date a destruction of the basilica, were found. Following parallels with Early Christian churches of the Syrian type, it is possible to assume that the basilica was used as an ossuary. The narthex measures 7.70 m by 3 m and presumably played the role of baptistery. The church has parallels with some Early Christian basilicas of the Syrian type, which were spread in the European territory of the Byzantine Empire during the 5th – 6th centuries AD. During the second period of existence (6th – 7th centuries AD), a chapel was built in the area between the eastern wall of the narthex and the southern wall of the church. Five graves were discovered under the floor of the nave and the area in front of the apse. The church had a ridge roof covered with tiles. Presumably, the basilica was part of monastery complex and bishop residence.