Aladzha Monastery

Aladzha monastery ( Bulgarian Аладжа манастир ) is a former cave monastery not far from the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, about 15 km north of the port city of Varna and approximately three kilometers west of the tourist center gold beach.

The monastery is situated in a forest and there is a 40 m high cliff halfway up. In two superposed planes the premises of the soft chalk-like rock layers have been worked out.

There were two churches, the actual main church, a second smaller and a crypt. In addition, monks' cells and refectory can be visited. The Christian name of the monastery is not known. The present name is derived from the Turkish word " alaca " for colorful, which probably refers to the colored jewelry through the frescoes in the sacred rooms. Its origins are shrouded in mystery. The first written mention was made until 1832 in the Book of the Russian writer Viktor Tepljakov, letters from Bulgaria. The first settlement in the 4th to 6th century is believed, but not guaranteed. The remaining paintings date from the 11th/12th. or the 13-14. Century from the time of Tarnów art school of the Second Bulgarian Empire.

Even when the monastery was abandoned after the Ottoman subjugation of Bulgaria, is not known. But it seems to be after that been a place of worship until the 18th century. In the 19th century followed a systematic inventory and in the 20th century, the monastery was included in the list of national monuments in Bulgaria. Today it is a popular destination for many tourists attraction in the nearby Black Sea coast.