Bissera Pentcheva

Bissera Pentcheva is the Victoria and Roger Sant Professor of Art and Professor of Classics (by courtesy) at Stanford University. She holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University and a B.A. from Dartmouth College. Her research bridges art history, acoustics, and music, focusing on Byzantine and medieval art's multisensory dimensions. She co-directs the Icons of Sound project, exploring the acoustic environment of Hagia Sophia, and leads the Enchanted Images project on the medieval art and liturgy of Sainte-Foy at Conques.

Dr. Pentcheva’s work emphasizes the interplay between architecture, sound, and ritual. Her books include Hagia Sophia: Sound, Space and Spirit in Byzantium (2017) and The Sensual Icon (2010), which investigate how materiality and sensory experience shaped medieval spirituality. Recent projects include aural reconstructions of Byzantine chant and interdisciplinary exhibitions linking music, dance, and art.

Her research has been supported by prestigious fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, American Academy in Rome, and others. She has published extensively on topics like the animation of icons, multisensory aesthetics, and virtual reconstructions of medieval spaces. Current initiatives include studies on Sainte-Foy’s liturgical design and the cultural legacy of Hagia Sophia.

Awards and recognitions include the Nicholas Brown Prize (2010) and the American Academy of Religion Award (2018). Her work appears in venues like Speculum and Journal of the International Society for Orthodox Christian Music. She advises on digital humanities projects and collaborates with CCRMA (Stanford’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics).