An archaeological team led by Prof. Dr. Lyudmil Vagalinski (NAIM-BAS) discovered on July 3, 2024 a well-preserved statue in the ancient city of Heraclea Sintica, near the village of Rupite, municipality of Petrich. According to an initial estimate (the front part of the sculpture is still hardly visible), it represents the god Hermes and was carved from a block of marble in the II century AD. The statue survived a violent earthquake at the very end of the IV century after which it was hidden in a defunct Roman canal because of tensions between pagans and early Christians. Christianity was declared in 380 to be the only permitted religion in the Roman Empire.
The statue will be on display at the Petrich History Museum.
