Medieval church of St. Nicholas village Sirishtnik

Overview

The chapel "St. Nikolas- Letni ”is located about 1.5 km west of the center of the village of Sirishtnik. It is located in a small valley, at the western foot of the Ushite hill, on which the ruins of the late antique and medieval fortress "Gradishte" can be seen. Immediately to the east, next to the chapel, there is a spring with holy water, which is why the local area is also known as the "Holy Water".
Today's chapel is built on the foundations of a medieval church. In the middle of the 20th century, when it was visited by the art critic Asen Vasiliev, barely visible traces of its foundations have been preserved. Later, in the early 80's, the antiquity was registered by specialists from the Institute of Cultural Monuments, but at that time there were no visible marks above the ground. Then the plan was confirmed - a small, one-nave, one-apse church, with approximate dimensions of 6 x 4 m. Based on the architectural data, the church dates back to the late Middle Ages, to the typical for this era churches from the Upper Struma lands.
Whether the opinion of the experts is authoritative cannot be known with certainty without an archaeological study. So the question of the time of construction of this temple remains open. It is possible that it was connected with the fortress or with the nearby medieval settlement. From the Ottoman tax documents from the XVI century it is understood the existence of the neighborhood of St. Nicholas to the village of Sirishtnik. This information gives reason to assume that the local church, bearing the name "St. Nikolas ”, served the residents of the neighborhood of the same name. But the possibility is not ruled out that it also belonged to a hermitage or a convent to the nearby Peshterski monastery, whose patron is also St. Nicholas.
There is no information when this church was destroyed. The local population has preserved the memory of it, and after its destruction designated the place in a consecrated place, known as "St. Nicholas Letni". From time immemorial, the people of Sirishtitsa have venerated the saint here on May 22 (in the old style), on the feast of St. Nicholas - Letni (Transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas of Myra), with holy water and sacrifice. This tradition was banned and interrupted during the atheistic socialist period. But after the onset of the so-called. "Democratic change" the old custom has been revived. In 2006, a small chapel was built on the site, with funds donated by locals. Next to the chapel is a well-formed spring with holy water, whose healing power has healed many people who approached the holy place with faith and love.