Sozopol is about to change the ideas of the world for Bulgaria.
It all began on July 28, 2010, when the news that the team of Prof. Kazimir Popkonstantinov, a leading excavation of the medieval monastery “St. John the Forerunner” on the island of St. Ivan found something big; The next day was found something small – a stone box, the inscriptions on which explained the great – that in an alabaster casket lie part of the mortal remains of John the Forerunner.
Are they lying or is it empty? This question heated the degree of suspense red. The response was given in a categorical manner on August 1, 2010, when the casket revealed to the cameras of journalists, before the eyes of archaeologists, spiritual persons and citizens, the treasures kept in it – part of a jaw with a tooth, a heel bone, finger phalanges and other small bones.
God loves Sozopol! For besides the open relics of the Forerunner, the Church of St. George keeps a particle of the Holy Cross and the relics of St. Andrei Parvozvani.
Proof of the rich history and culture of the town are the numerous archaeological remains such as fortress walls, tombs and public buildings and works of art from Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Here is the Church of “St. Virgin Mary” from VII century, which is under the protection of UNESCO, and the Chapel “St. Zosim” from IX century. The architecture of the old part of the town is unique, characterized by steep cobbled streets and houses in Renaissance style – with stone walls on the ground floor, wooden staircases and scaffolding and spacious verandas. Opposite the old town are located three islands – St. Kirik, St. Ivan and St. Peter. On the largest of them – St. Ivan are located the remains of the monastery “St. Joan the Forerunner ” (destroyed in XIV – XV century), the ancient Greek temple of Apollo and an antique lighthouse.
Only 16 km away from the town lies the mouth of the river Ropotamo, famous for its unique nature, favourite place for visits of many tourists. Where the river flows into the bay, many natural wonders are gathered. The river spills and forms a lake, its two banks are transformed into wetlands, covered with dense vegetation and centuries-old trees descending from the slopes of Strandja mountains almost to the sea shore. Under their dark green peaks the visitor can enjoy the incredible vegetation of wildflowers, grasses, water lilies and lianas hanging to the surface of the river. Songs of numerous birds can be heard from the bushes and the tree crowns. The river is full of fish because autumn and spring large fish passages swim into the river.