Contributed by Joya Stevenson / Like an icon, which shines forth the divine presence, so the village of Nessebar provides a window into a lost and magical world. Here, in southern Bulgaria on the Black Sea, not far from Istanbul (once Constantinople), Nessebar housed a cluster of some 40 churches dating from the 5th century to the 16th century CE, of which 15 have now been reconstituted from their archaeological remains. Some churches look like mini-fortresses with towers, decorated by concave arches and four-leafed flowers; others are plain, like rectangular houses. Inside, they are teeming with art. On the walls are frescoes illustrating gospel scenes. At the main apse in front of the altar, the Mother of God (theotokos), rather than Christ, is commonly found.