Aladzha Monastery
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Aladzha Monastery (Bulgarian: Аладжа манастир) is a medieval
The monastery caves were hewn into a 25-m high vertical karst cliff near the upper edge of the Franga Plateau on several levels. The complex includes two small nearby catacombs.
Dedicated to the
A cave monastery may have existed not far from the modern monastery Aladzha, near Varna. Its early dating to the fourth century is secured by fragments of glassware, but coins of Justinian indicate that the complex may have still been in use during the 500s.[1]
As late as the early 20th century, the forested hills surrounding the monastery and known as Hachuka (Mount of the Cross) or Latin, were regarded by locals as sacred and inhabited by a mythical
Today, the grotto is a popular tourist destination. Its present name appeared in the late Ottoman period; Alaca (Turkish for motley) referred to its colourful murals, now almost destroyed. Thematic light shows are being staged in the summer.[3]
Gallery
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Mosaic in Aladazha Monastery
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Detail from a mosaic in Aladazha Monastery
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Stone tombs in Aladzha Monastery's catacombs
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Medieval fresco in the monastery
References
- ISBN 978-0-521-03615-3
- ^ ЕТНОКОНФЕСИОНАЛНИ РЕФЛЕКСИ В БЪЛГАРСКАТА ФОЛКЛОРНА ДЕМОНОЛОГИЯ
- ^ "Аладжа манастир Аладжа манастир". Archived from the original on 2004-11-18. Retrieved 2011-08-28.
Sources
- ISBN 9781139428880.