Aladzha monastery

Overview

It is located about 17 km from the city of Varna and 3 km from the Golden Sands resort. The old Christian name of the monastery is unknown. According to a legend recorded by Karel Shkorpil, the patron saint of the monastery is "Holy Savior" - from "Christ the Savior". Since 1960, Bulgarian Christians have called it the Holy Trinity. The name "alaca" (from Turkish: alaca) is of Persian or Arabic origin and means "colorful, colorful". Discovered in 1997, the species "Nelima aladjensis" of the class Arachnida, order Hayfields (Opiliones), family Phalangiidae is named after the monastery. Remains of a three-nave church from the 5th-6th century have been found near the medieval monastery. The monastery was established in the XII - XIII century, but was abandoned at the end of the XV and the beginning of the XVI century. The name of the monastery was first mentioned in the book "Letters from Bulgaria" (1832) by the Russian writer Viktor Teplyakov. The first systematic studies were conducted in the late 19th century by the brothers Herman and Karel Shkorpil. In 1912 it was declared a "folk antiquity", and in 1957 - a "cultural monument of national importance". From 1966 to 1989 it was on the list of the 100 national tourist sites.