The ruins of the Red Church are located near the town of Perushtitsa, about 20 kilometers away from the city of Plovdiv. The church is believed to be built in the late 5th or early 6th century, during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I. Historians suggest that the church was once famous in the past for holding healing relics of Christian martyrs. The church carried the name of the Virgin Mary, but was later known as the Red Church because of the Roman bricks and pink mortar used in its construction. It is one of the most notable early Christian monuments in Southeast Europe.