The early Byzantine basilica in the village of Gela, which was recently explored and is now open to tourists, is located in the Monastery area near the old church of the Holy Trinity, just outside the village. The road to the end of the village is asphalted, but from there a dirt well-trodden road leads to the Christian temples. If you leave the car at the end of the tarmac, you are at the church in ten minutes. There are information boards to guide tourists. The terrain is easy and pleasant to walk. From here the road to the fortress “Gradishte”, which is located 2.5 km. above the village.
The basilica is part of a large religious complex, which is the highest religious complex in the mountains in this part of Europe – 1485 m. . The complex was erected during the Christianization of the Thracians. It was probably burnt down in the second half of the 6th century during the invasions of Slavs and Avars. According to the archaeologists Damyan Damyanov, Nikolay Boyadzhiev from the RHM “Stoyu Shishkov” in the town of Varna. Margarita Vaklinova, who is the first researcher of the early Christian basilica, from it began the conversion of the Thracian tribes in the Rhodopes. It was the largest and most ornate in the Middle Rhodopes. The main building measures 30 by 14.80m..
Inside there are three longitudinal and one transverse nave (transept). The northern nave is isolated from the interior and closed with a wall to the central part. It was entered by rooms to the north and south. In front of the south façade was a portico, under which were formed an entrance to the interior and an approach to a room in the southeast corner, probably a baptistery. The annexes to the north were also used for liturgical purposes. The walls of the churches were built of stone and brick. The floors were covered with ceramic slabs – round with a diameter of 0.60 m, rectangular and square.
The roof was of wooden construction and tiles. The temple was abundantly illuminated with windows with glass. Architectural details were made of local stone for the interior. Remains of a second church are also known, on the site of which the Holy Trinity Church was erected in the village of Gela. Near it, down the slope, domestic buildings and a necropolis have been found. By order of the Minister of Culture Vejdi Rashidov, the early Byzantine basilica was declared a monument of national importance.
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