Asen's fortress

Overview

Asen's fortress Asen's Fortress, or Petrich, are the ruins of a medieval fortress with the fortified church of the Holy Mother of God Petrich. It is located in the Rhodope Mountains, 2 km from Asenovgrad, Bulgaria. The fortress has existed since the time of the Thracians, it was rebuilt by Byzantium in the IX century to guard the gate of the White Sea Pass and to provide the Byzantine border in this area. The first written information about the fortress is from the XI century and was obtained from the statutes of the then built Bachkovo Monastery. From this information it can be seen that Assen's fortress had its own security and administration. It was conquered by the Crusaders during the Fourth Crusade. The fortress existed until 1410, it was destroyed by the invading Ottoman troops.