One of the famous cultural and historical sights in Arbanassi village is “Nativity of Christ” Church. It is the earliest too, built in the end of XVI-beginning of XVII c with donations of rich Arbanassian tradesmen. The church impresses with its construction and well-preserved murals.
“Nativity of Christ” Church consist of a naos, a narthex (women’s section), a chapel of St. John the Baptist and a long gallery.
Most of the murals in the church date from the 30-ty years of XVII century. All of them are restored and amaze the modern people with their expressions and colourful choices. Besides the traditional biblical paintings of The Life of Virgin Mary, The Tree of Jesse and Doomsday in the narthex, there are images of antique Greek philosophers and poets- Homer, Aristotle, Plato, etc. This fact is notable for Humanistic trends of the time.
Among the murals in the chapel most interesting and impressing are those scenes devoted to St. John the Baptist. The iconostasis is precisely made and it is a masterpiece of Bulgarian traditional woodcarving.
One of the most popular paintings in the gallery is The Wheel of Life which is combined with the signs of the Zodiac. In this composition is shown the philosophical relation between the Zodiac, the seasons and human life.