Aladzha monastery
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Aladzha monastery is a popular rock monastery on the Black Sea Coast, part of the Golden Sands National Park.
Location
It is situated around 17 km north-east of Varna, 3 km west of Golden Sands resort and 460 km north-east of Sofia city.
History and general information
The data on the early history of the monastery are few and uncertain. According to the historians primitive monk’s cells were made and settled as early as the fourth century. The first archaeological materials refer to the early Byzantine era – coins from the time of Constantine (4th century) and Justinian (5th century), and several ceramic pieces found during the clearing of the embankment in front of the rock. These scarce materials still don’t provide enough reasons to say that at that time the monastery already existed. It has been proved that it has acquired its final form in the 12th century.
The name of Aladzha monastery comes from the Turkish word for colourful (‘aladzha’) probably because of the vivid colours of its wall paintings dating back to the early Middle Ages. Unfortunately, today there are very few of them.
Architecture
The monastic complex is located two levels above ground, dug in almost 40 m high limestone cliff.
Downstairs were the monks’ rooms (six monastic cells with niches in the walls), common rooms (kitchen, dining room) and a small church. The second floor of the rock monastery was intended solely for the chapel. All rooms are connected to each other by an external staircase.
The chapel is the only preserved brickwork room in the monastery and was used for the secondary everyday religious practices, while in the main church downstairs performed more important and festive liturgies. The church and the chapel were decorated with frescoes but today there are only fragments.
A few hundred meters away from Aladzha monastery is situated a similar monastery complex named Catacombs but its preserved remains are far less.
Aladzha monastery is declared a cultural monument. There is a museum in its yard.
Open for visits:
November – April: 10.00 – 17.00. Closed on Sundays and Mondays.
May – October: 10.00 – 17.00. Open every day.
In winter days visits are made by appointment.
Tourists can also view the audio-visual performance “Legends of Aladzha monastery”. The show lasts 30 minutes and runs from May to October every Wednesday and Saturday. The show begins at 21.00.
Accommodation
Aladzha monastery is not a functioning cloister and doesn’t offer accommodation. The nearby resorts of Golden Sands and St. St. Constantine and Elena offers a wide choice of lodgings and hotel rooms.
Transport
The monastery is easy accessible by car from Varna and Golden Sands. There is also a direct bus № 29 which runs from Varna Railway Station.
Sources: http://www.varna-bg.com; http://www.bulgarianmonastery.com; http://bg.wikipedia.org
Pictures: http://www.pbase.com
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