The National History Museum and the Municipality of Tsarevo are revealing one of the most significant spiritual centers on the Southern Black Sea Coast - the Ahtopol Monastery of “St. John the Forerunner“, known among locals as "St. Yani", Nova TV reported. The archaeological research is under the direction of the director of the National History Museum, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Boni Petrunova.
The monastery is located on the cape of the same name, south of the port bay of the town of Ahtopol. It is believed that in the past the Metropolitan of Agathopol resided here until 1829. In the 1960s, a unit of the "Border Police" was built on the site of the monastery. In 2019, the police handed over the property to the Ministry of Culture, and a year later the Ministry handed it over for management and administration to the National Museum of History. Subsequently, the NMH developed a conceptual project for the reconstruction of the peninsula into a cultural center that would unite archaeology, history and contemporary cultural events.
It is believed that the magnificent Ahtopol Monastery “St. John the Forerunner“ was built sometime in the 12th-13th centuries. Within the last five archaeological seasons, the foundations of the longest church discovered so far on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast have been uncovered. This fact testifies to the significant role of medieval Agathopol as one of the five famous episcopal centers on the southern Black Sea coast of present-day Bulgaria.
To date, 257 archaeological finds have been discovered at the site, which are presented annually at the Anchor Museum in the “Neven“ hotel. Among the most impressive exhibits are silver coins of the Achaean Principality (Guillaume II de Villehardouin, Isabelle I de Villehardouin, Charles II of Anjou), a gold coin of Suleiman the Magnificent, an exquisite jasper cross and two Celtic bronze fibulae from the Roman era (3rd century).
This is one of the impressive archaeological sites on the Southern Black Sea Coast. The discoveries here change our ideas about the role and importance of medieval Agathopol in the history of the region.
Today, not only the beautiful nature and the sea attract tourists to Ahtopol and Tsarevo, but also the living story of the rich history of ancient Agathopol - one of the most significant spiritual and cultural centers on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast.