At the end of the 10th century a large part of Bulgaria was occupied by Byzantium. The capital of the Bulgarian state was moved to Ohrid. King Samuil (997-1014) led a long and controversial war with the Byzantine Emperor Basil the second.
In 1014 the Bulgarians were defeated in battle at Belasitsa. 15 000 Bulgarian warriors fall into captivity. By order of Emperor Basil II, they were blinded and in hundred people are left one-eyed for a guide. So the blinded army returns to its ruler and King Samuil got a heart attack and dies does from the terrible sight.
The monument of King Samuil is the work of contemporary Bulgarian sculptor Alexander Haytov in 2015.
The monument looks at the sculptural composition “The Blinded Samuil Warriors”. It was made by Lyubomir Dalchev in the 70’s. The composition is one of the last works of this sculptor made in Bulgaria. In 1979, nearly eighty years ago, he emigrated to the United States of America. “To Breathe Freely!” in the last days of his life. He lived almost a hundred years and left an artistic trace in America.
