An incredible church was erected in one of the most impressing places in the Inner town. Its proximity to the palace complex via a 30 m.long and 1,50 m.wide street define it as the Ruler’s basilica and part of the incredible palace complex. Its imposing dimensions of 47.50 m.length and 21.10 m. width make it the second biggest church ever found on Bulgarian lands. People used to enter the church from the west in three- section outer narthex or exonarthex followed by the second narthex. The central room is divided in three naves and finally there is a vast and deep pre- altar space with three apses. It presumably dates back to the 9th century and relates to the construction of monumental church buildings after Christianization of medieval Bulgaria during the rule of Prince Boris I. Most probably the church did not have the outer narthex during this first construction period. Traces of an additional entrance were found on the south of the narthex and probably there was also an entrance symmetrically on the south. The narthex’s floor was covered with big marble plates. An outer narthex was added during the second construction period in the 10th century with almost square rooms from both north and south. Traces show that there was winding stairs for the second floor in the northern room.
We must note that the exonarthex stopped existing during the second half of the 11th century. The construction is of limestone blocks especially whittled with the same size with length over one meter and the preserved fragments of marble and limestone architectural decoration- capitals, bases, liner plates, etc. The ruler’s church is of marked imposing nature proved by the flooring of marble plates and the colorful cubes making a opus- sectile style rope-mouldings. These rope-mouldings form six parallel straps in the central nave and the space between them is covered by white marble plates. The ruler’s church most probably 20 m.high takes an important part in the town structure of the Second Bulgarian capital.