"Golyamata Basilica" (Large Basilica) is located on the territory of the medieval town of Pliska, which is currently the historical and archaeological Museum under the open sky.

The Basilica was built after the adoption of Christianity, 875 year. It was a religious Palace complex, which included the Bishop's Palace, the Cathedral and the monastery. On all sides she was shielded four-meter high stone wall. The length of the temple complex was 99 meters, width – 30 meters, the total building area occupied 2920 sq. meters. Did this Basilica is one of the largest temples in South-Eastern Europe in the middle Ages.

For more than 250 years, the building served various functions such as the Cathedral, the Episcopal Palace and the Church of the monastery; he was the center of spiritual and religious life of the city and Pliska throughout medieval Bulgaria. Since IX century it was occupied the centre of the Bulgarian Archbishopric of state, and in the year 886, after a solemn meeting with the disciples of Cyril and Methodius, in the temple settled first in Bulgaria school of Slavonic knightii.

On a separate extant fragments we can judge what once was this magnificent building. The architecture of the Cathedral close to similar buildings of the Byzantine period. Before entering the temple is located in the atrium (outdoor paved courtyard surrounded by columns and walls. Interestingly, the columns in the building are not the same, as if collected from different places. Probably during the construction of the temple they were borrowed from other buildings of the early antique period.

Partially preserved also the Foundation and walls of the Basilica. The building was made of large hewn stone blocks with decorative seams between them. Found during excavations of the details indicate that the interiors were decorated with stone carvings and mosaics.

According to preserved details of this unique building, several attempts of creation of projects of reconstruction. The most famous of them is the project of architect A. Rusanova.

A great Basilica was an important early Christian monument of the Bulgarian culture during the IX century. It makes a big impression with its monumental, impressive size, rich ornaments.