The Balkan Heritage Foundation (BHF), in partnership with the National Institution of Stobi (NI Stobi), is pleased to announce the final phase of the conservation of the Theodosian Palace. The continuation of the project is made possible thanks to the generous support of the American Institute for Roman Culture  (AIRC) under the Expandere Conscientiae Lumen initiative through a 100,000 USD grant. The initiative is aimed at supporting innovative projects that preserve and promote Greco-Roman culture. The funding will serve to finish the conservation of the luxurious late Roman residence, richly decorated with mosaics, and enable the training of the local team and representatives of the National Institute for Immovable Cultural Heritage in Bulgaria, as well as volunteers from the United States, in order to increase their capacity in architectural conservation as a precondition for a sustainable preservation of the site.

The initial conservation project (2022 to 2025) was funded by the J. M. Kaplan Fund and encompassed the preservation and restoration of the building’s stone walls, floor mosaics, and marble architectural elements.

The ongoing preservation efforts at Stobi are in alignment with the recommendations in the Master Conservation Plan developed in close collaboration with an international conservation team of experts led by John Stewart, Graham Abrey (UK) and Alessandro Lugari (IT).  In charge of the implementation of the wall conservation is the Skillington Workshop (UK), together with the team of NI Stobi and BHF-affiliated trainees.

The current conservation campaign started on September 22nd and will continue for two months, concluding on December 1st.