Six centuries before the birth of Christ, the eternal sea nomads, the Greeks, founded a city on a rocky peninsula called Apollonia. In honor of the patron saint, the colonists erected a 13-meter sculpture that stood for 500 years and became a trophy of the legionnaire Mark Lucullus. He destroyed the city and brought the statue of Apollo to Rome. Five centuries later, Apollonia resurrected from oblivion and began to be called Sozopol, which means "the city of salvation." The ancient origin of the Bulgarian resort is confirmed by the results of archaeological research, and historians are ready to give a long and comprehensive answer to the question of what to see in Sozopol. Lovers of natural attractions will be happy to walk along the shores of the local Amazon, and Orthodox pilgrims will take the opportunity to touch the Christian shrines.
TOP-10 attractions of Sozopol
Old city
The old part of Sozopol is located on the peninsula, where most of the sights are concentrated, which are offered by travel agencies as part of organized excursions. You can also independently get acquainted with the monuments of the history of Sozopol. While walking in the historical center, you will see many authentic houses, ruins of fortress walls, churches built on the site of ancient temples and sanctuaries, and interesting museums. Some buildings of the 18th-19th centuries bear the names of their former owners and are of considerable artistic interest:
- A museum has been opened in the House-Museum of Alexander Mutafarov. The owner was the first marine painter to paint the seascapes of Sozopol.
- The editorial office of the city newspaper is located in the house of Kukulisa Khadzhinikolova, called by Sozopol residents "The House of Granny".
- The fashionable Stenata restaurant is famous not only for its excellent cuisine. It is located in the house of Lina Psaryanova, built at the end of the 19th century.
Also don't miss the art gallery in a 17th century mansion owned by fishmonger Dimitrio Lascardi. Art connoisseurs call the museum one of the best in Sozopol and the surrounding area.
House of Sun
The architecture of the wooden houses in the center of old Sozopol is unique. Most of them were built in the 19th century, but there are buildings dating back to the 17th-18th centuries.
A typical wooden house here has a dark stone foundation, its brick walls are usually sheathed with wood that has darkened with time and sea winds. The lower of the three floors is used as utility rooms, where supplies, tools and wine were stored.
The pearl of the "Ancient Sozopol" complex, protected since the 70s of the last century, is the house of Anna Trefandilova, better known as the "House of the Sun". It was built in 1754 by a fishmonger, and almost a century later the facade was adorned with an image of the sun made of wood. A triangular pediment was crowned with a carved wooden cornice, the inside of the ceiling was painted with scenes from rural life.
Legend has it that the isolated position of the House of the Sun is the result of nearby buildings collapsing under the influence of "rays".
Church of St. Zosima
In the XIX century. on the ruins of a medieval church, the temple of St. Zosima, very revered in Bulgaria, was built. Martyr Zosima lived in Sozopol when the city was called Apollonia. At that time Trajan, the persecutor of Christians, reigned here. Zosima left military service and joined the Christians, who in the I-II centuries. there was still quite a bit. For this he was subjected to terrible tortures at the imperial court. Refusing to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, Zosima was brutally executed. Centuries later, a temple was consecrated in memory of him in Sozopol.
The church was built of cut stone and has only one nave. You can enter inside through a semicircular arch decorated with stucco. Tombstone of the 5th centuryon the floor of the church confirms the version that the temple was built on the ruins of an older one.
The main decoration of the Church of St. Zosima is the icons of the 19th century, painted by the masters of the Sozopol school.
Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius
Entering the historical part of Sozopol, you will certainly see a one-nave snow-white temple named after Cyril and Methodius, the creators of the first Slavic alphabet. The basilica is small: only 25 meters long and 13 meters wide. The bell tower rises into the sky at 23 m. The main relic of the temple, built in 1889 by the master Usta Gencho, is a wooden iconostasis, created in the 17th-18th centuries. carvers of the Debar school.
After the end of World War II, the church of Saints Cyril and Methodius was transferred to the secular authorities and a local history museum was opened in it. After 50 years, the church was returned to the parishioners, and today, after the reconstruction, services are held in it, as before.
Church of the Virgin Mary
Guessing an Orthodox church in this seemingly unremarkable building is not immediately possible. The building seems to have grown into the ground and it seems impossible to enter it without bending. However, the Church of the Virgin Mary in Sozopol is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as a particularly outstanding monument of the architectural and cultural heritage in the Balkans.
The history of the creation of the church begins in the 15th century, when the Turks ruled in the territory of modern Bulgaria. They allowed Christians to build temples, but the height of the structures should not obscure the view of the rider sitting on a horse. This is how the Church of the Virgin Mary appeared - low and unprepossessing in appearance, but which was of great importance for its parishioners.
The restoration of the temple was carried out in the 19th century. Then the carvers decorated the interior with a wooden iconostasis, and the most revered temple icons depicting the Savior and the Virgin Mary took pride of place at the altar.
The image of the Mother of God is especially revered by the townspeople and the holiday in honor of the icon kept in the old church takes place annually on July 18.
St. Ivan Island
The largest island off the coast of Sozopol has been declared a natural and archaeological reserve. On the island of St. Ivan in the Burgas Bay, during scientific research, several archaeological monuments have been discovered dating back to different periods in the history of the country.
The most ancient ruins remain from the Thracian sanctuary, dedicated to the pagan gods who were worshiped on the island. In the Middle Ages, a monastery was built on the island, which was destroyed more than once by the Ottoman conquerors and rebuilt by local residents.
Another attraction of the island, which can be seen from Sozopol at night, points the way to ships in the Burgas Bay. The lighthouse appeared on the island in the 19th century. and since then has served as a permanent reference point for sailors.
If you are fond of diving, a unique natural formation awaits you in the coastal waters - an underwater stone forest.
You can go to the island by boat, which is offered by the city port.
Ropotamo nature reserve
For a person who grew up on the banks of the Volga or Ob, the length of the Ropotamo River in Bulgaria will seem frivolous - only 48 km. The river flows into the bay of the southern part of the Burgas Bay of the Black Sea and already 5 km from the mouth its water becomes salty. The unique microclimate in the lower reaches of the Ropotamo has led to the appearance in these places of many plants and animals atypical for such regions. For example, dolphins swim in the Ropotamo River, pelicans nest on its banks, and thickets of snow-white lilies every summer amaze the imagination of local and visiting artists.
The special flora and fauna was the reason for the opening of the reserve in the Ropotamo delta. The total area of the national park is more than 800 hectares, where you will find mountain ranges and swamps, estuaries and rock formations of bizarre shapes, sand dunes and rocky islets. More than a hundred of the reserve's plants are listed in the Red Book, and about a dozen out of 250 bird species are endangered.
Arnautsky Museum Complex
A museum complex has been opened in the southern part of Sozopol, the exposition of which will be of interest to lovers of history, archeology and local history. The basis of the collection of the Arnautsky Museum Complex is made up of rarities found during archaeological research in the city and its surroundings.
In the exhibition halls of the museum, you can look at the ancient Greek amphorae found in the sea off the coast of Sozopol, pithos for storing grain reserves, coins of different eras found during excavations on land and on sunken ships - in the sea.
The place where the exposition was located also has considerable historical value. During the restoration work, a part of the medieval wall, which was part of the fortifications of old Sozopol, was restored. The museum complex is located next to the defensive structures.
Sozopol amphitheater
If you compare the Sozopol amphitheater with its eminent brothers in Rome or Verona, guests of the Bulgarian resort may be slightly disappointed: in size it is clearly inferior to the famous Italian landmarks. But the inhabitants of the city are proud of the ancient structure. Its appearance testifies to the fact that once Sozopol was of particular importance as a seaport and a trading center on the Black Sea.
The amphitheater was discovered by accident. In 1972, after prolonged rainstorms, a landslide occurred in the city, exposing an ancient building. After restoration and restoration, dating from the II century. the amphitheater has turned into an open stage area. In summer, it hosts concerts and theatrical performances.
City art gallery
On a picturesque promontory stretching into the sea in the old center of Sozopol, the Art Gallery was opened in 1991, displaying about 300 paintings by local artists and several dozen sculptures.
The main theme of the paintings is the sea and everything connected with it. You can see seascapes, portraits of fishermen, beaches painted in watercolor technique, and more.
A large part of the former school, where the museum is now located, is given over to a permanent exhibition of sculpture. The authors of the works are local artists who have chosen a variety of materials to create their masterpieces: granite and bronze, marble and wood, ornamental stones and clay.
