Description of the attraction
Asenov Fortress is a medieval fortress in the Rhodope Mountains, located on the rise of the left bank of the Chepelarskaya River, 2-3 kilometers south of Asenovgrad. According to data based on archaeological excavations, the first fortifications in this area appeared in the 9th century. In particular, this is evidenced by the found coins of the times of the ruler Theophilos.
Asenov Fortress was an important center that controlled the movement through the river valley to the Aegean Sea from Plovdiv. This was facilitated by the favorable location right in the Rhodope Mountains.
Initially, the fortress was just a small tower, around which rural buildings began to be built over time. Later they separated into two tiny villages - Stenimaka and Petrich.
For the first time, mentions of the Asen fortress were found in the charter of the Bachkovo monastery of the 11th century: it refers to the “fortified settlement of Petrich”. By the way, this settlement existed only until the XIV century. During the period of the Third Crusade, the fortress was captured, then it was referred to as Scribenzion.
The fortress was rebuilt in 1231 during the reign of Ivan Asen II. According to the inscription on the wall, the restructuring was necessary for the defense of the Bulgarians from the Latins. The height of the walls became 12 meters, width - 3 meters. In fact, it was a feudal castle. Today, there you can see the surviving three cisterns-reservoirs and three dozen different rooms.
The temple of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother of God of the XII-XIII centuries has been perfectly preserved. This is a two-storey one-nave cross-domed church. The interior of the church is decorated with frescoes by craftsmen of the 14th century.
The fortress was captured by the Byzantines after the death of the Bulgarian king Asen II, and again it was returned by the Bulgarian king John-Alexander closer to the middle of the 14th century. But after it was captured by the Turks. During this period, the fortress was abandoned, only the church functioned.
The Russians in 1878, advancing on the Ottoman troops, recaptured, along with the village of Stanimak, the ruins of the Asen fortress. In 1934 the city was renamed Asenovgrad, and in the 70s active archaeological work began on the territory of the fortress.
By 1991, experts completed the restoration of the fortress and it turned into a national cultural monument.
