ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS NEAR THE VILLAGE OF ZMEIOVO (Maria Kamisheva – maria.ivanowa@gmail.com) Mediaeval Bulgarian reliefs were discovered close to the site, showing a lioness with a cub, a lion, peacocks and a gryphon. In 1926, an apse of s church decorated with frescoes was discovered. In 2014, the southern wall of the church was explored. Its façade was decorated with terracotta rosettes. There were frescoes on its inner side, showing the lower parts of three standing figures with long garments in green, red and yellow colors. Another wall perpendicular to the southern wall and oriented to the north was discovered and its eastern side was decorated with frescoes. The church was built at the end of the 12th – 13th century. A chapel with an apse adjoining its southern wall was built during a later construction period. Two layers of frescoes were identified. The later frescoes dated to the end of the 13th – 14th century. A room with stairs was explored and a pile of roof-tiles and bricks was discovered inside. A grave was discovered to the east of the apse of the chapel. The burial belonged to a man, c. 50 years old, 1.73 – 1.75 m in height. A lead medallion was found under his left shoulder, showing St. Theodore as a horseman and dated to the 1150s – 1220s.