History of Sozopol

The town of Sozopol lies on a picturesque peninsula in the southern part of the Bay of Burgas, about 35 km from Burgas. It has a population of around 5,000. It is one of the oldest towns on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast and one of the most popular seaside resorts in the country. Its beautiful Old Town and romantic atmosphere attract many visitors from all over the world.

Archaeological research shows more than seven millennia of cultural tradition. The first settlements in the Bay of Sozopol appeared in the Neolithic, at the end of the 6th millennium BC. In 610 BC settlers from the Asia Minor city of Miletus founded a city-state called Apollonia on the Sozopol peninsula. In the first centuries of its existence Apollonia flourished remarkably. In the 5th century BC strong fortress walls and monumental public buildings were erected. Ancient authors mention the temple of Apollo the Healer with its colossal 13-metre statue of the god. In 72 BC Apollonia was conquered by the legions of the Roman general Marcus Lucullus. The city was burned and plundered, and the famous statue of Apollo was carried off to Rome as a war trophy.

In the 1st century AD the city was rebuilt, and after Thrace became a Roman province it continued to exist as a port. After Christianity was adopted as the official religion the city was renamed Sozopolis, in keeping with the new Christian doctrine.

In the 5th–6th centuries Sozopol was surrounded by new fortress walls, whose ruins can still be seen today in the southern and south-eastern parts of the peninsula. The town first became part of Bulgaria when it was captured by the troops of Khan Krum in 812. Medieval Sozopol was an episcopal centre with more than 20 churches and 5 monasteries. Surviving medieval architecture includes the ruins of the monastery complex on St Ivan Island (10th–17th century), the basilica in the centre of the Old Town and part of the St Apostles monastery on Cape Skamniy in the north-eastern part of the Old Town.

In 1974 the Old Town of Sozopol was declared a museum. Around 180 residential buildings from the mid-18th and early 19th century shape the appearance of the reserve. The houses of the Old Town are built of stone and wood and belong to the so-called Black Sea architectural type. Among the better known are the Marieta Stefanova House, the Kreanoolu House, the Todor Zagorov House, the Kurtidi House, the Dimitri Laskaridis House and others.

Places worth visiting include the Archaeological Museum and the Art Gallery. In 2010 archaeological excavations on the nearby island of St Ivan uncovered relics of St John the Baptist. Today the precious relic is kept in the church of St Cyril and St Methodius and attracts pilgrims from all over the world. Ancient Sozopol with the relics of John the Baptist won the "Wonders of Bulgaria" ranking in 2011.