ДЯВОЛИТЕ ОТ КОМПОЗИЦИЯТА „СТРАШНИЯ СЪД“ – ВИЗУАЛНА ИНТЕРПРЕТАЦИЯ НА БИБЛЕЙСКИ И НАРОДНИ ПРЕДСТАВИ/THE DEVILS FROM THE COMPOSITION " THE LAST JUDGMENT" – A VISUAL INTERPRETATION OF BIBLICAL AND FOLK IMAGES

<jats:p>The article is built on the pictorial monuments from Orthodox churches in Southwestern Bul-garia during the Renaissance era. The focus of the study is the struggle between the forces of Good and Evil in the Christian religion. A main point moment in the Christian religion and, accordingly, in Christian art is the Second Coming and the judgment of people's souls. The article focuses on the role and place of the Devil and his retinue of devils at the judgment of the souls of sinners and their place in Hell. The stored images of the main devil and his assis-tants in the composition "The Last Judgment" and other scenes with their presence provide an opportunity to comment on their frightening appearance, their actions, and their role in the afterlife. Some unique examples are also examined – such as the Devil from the church in the village of Leshko, Blagoevgrad region. The place of the specified scenes in the iconographic program of the temple has been traced - chiefly narthexes, external galleries and women's sections. These plots carry special didactic messages to the ordinary believer and are a kind of visual moral code of Bulgarian society. It has been established interest in the forces of dark-ness has been noted by numerous and prominent representatives of the Renaissance art schools. The analysis of the iconography makes it possible to summarize the results, which show the creative interpretation by the Renaissance artists of ancient, biblical, dualistic motifs preserved in the folk faith.</jats:p>