Information about Sozopol

Sozopol is a small ancient town located 30 km south of Burgas on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. Today the town is mostly a beach resort known for the Apollonia art and film festival named after one of Sozopol's ancient names.

Sozopol is one of the oldest towns on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. The first settlement on the site dates back to the Bronze Age. Undersea explorations in the region of the port reveal relics of dwellings, ceramic pottery, stone and bone tools from that era. Many anchors from the second and first millennium BC have been discovered in the town's bay, a proof of active shipping since ancient times.

The location was colonized by the Milesians, who founded a town originally named Antheia, but this was soon changed to Apollonia. Apollonia was famous for its colossal statue of Apollo by Calamis, which Lucullus moved to Rome. At various times, Apollonia was known as Apollonia Pontica (that is, Apollonia on the Black Sea, the ancient Pontus Euxinus) and Apollonia Magna (Great Apollonia).

The town established itself as a trade and naval centre in the following centuries. It kept strong political and trade relations with the cities of Ancient Greece – Miletus, Athens, Corinth, Heraclea Pontica and the islands Rhodes, Chios, Lesbos, etc. Its trade influence in the Thracian territories was based on a treaty with the rulers of the Odrysian kingdom dating from the fifth century BC.

The symbol of the town – the anchor, present on all coins minted by Apollonia since the sixth century BC, is proof of the importance of trade. The rich town soon became an important cultural centre. At these times it was called Apollonia Magna.

Sozopol was Christianized early. Bishops are recorded as residents there from at least 431. At least eight bishops are known.The city remains a titular see of the Roman Catholic Church, that of Sozopolis in Haemimonto; the seat has stood vacant since the death of the last titular bishop in 2000.

Art flourished in the Christian era. The ancient icons and magnificent woodcarving in the iconostases are a remarkable accomplishment of the craftsmanship of these times. The architecture of the houses in the old town from the Renaissance period makes it a unique place to visit today.

Occupied in turn by Byzantines and Ottomans, Sozopol was assigned to the newly independent Bulgaria in the 19th century.

The original name of the city is attested as Antheia. Coins were minted in the town bearing the inscription Apollonia, which date from the sixth century BC to the first half of the third century AD. During this period, appellations such as Apollonia Pontica (Apollonia on the Black Sea) and Apollonia Magna (Great Apollonia) have been recorded. By the first century AD, the name Sozopolis began to appear in written records (e.g., in the Periplus Ponti Euxini). After the town became part of the Ottoman Empire, the name was changed to Sizeboli, Sizebolu or Sizebolou. After Bulgaria took possession of the town, it was Slavicized to Sozopol.


St. Thomas Island or Snake Island is a Bulgarian island in the Black Sea, 15 km south of Sozopol. It has an area of 3,000 sq. m and is the only place in Bulgaria where wild cactuses grow, brought from Bratislava and planted on the orders of Tsar Boris III in 1933. They have covered most of the island since then.

St. Thomas Island is named after the chapel dedicated to Saint Thomas that once existed on it, while its other name, Snake Island, it acquired from the plenty of grey water snakes that inhabit it, feeding on fish.

St. Ivan Island is the largest Bulgarian island in the Black Sea. It is located near Sozopol, and is separated by a strait a couple of meters long from a small neighboring St. Peter Island.
St. Ivan Island is famous for the 12th-14th century St. John Monastery. Its church is situated on the southern side of the island, which carries the name of the monastery (Ivan is the Bulgarian version of John). The church was built in 1263.

Archaeological research was carried out after 1985 for a couple of years, so today the remains of two churches, a royal residence, a library, part of the fortified wall with the gate and several monastic cells can be seen.

There is also a lighthouse constructed by French engineers in 1884 and pointing to the Burgas Bay still preserved on the island. Remains of an Ancient Roman lighthouse dating from about the 2nd century AD were found at the same place.

Apart from its historical significance, the island is also a nature reserve, with 72 species of birds nesting on the rocks and around the coast, 3 of which are endangered in the world and 15 in Europe. St. Ivan Island is also inhabited by other rare species, such as monk seals. The rocks on the island are covered with black mussels.

St. Cyricus Island is a Bulgarian island in the Black Sea, situated a quarter of a mile from Sozopol. It has an area of about 7,000 m².

There is historical evidence that from the 4th century BC to the 1st century BC a 13.20 m-high bronze statue of Apollo was standing on the island. It is presumed that sanctuaries of Apollo was also situated there, or possibly even a temple. There are plans for the statue to be reconstructed after the demilitarization of St. Cyricus Island.

In 1925, a school for fishermen and sailors was built on the island, where only orphans were allowed to study. The school existed only for about 10 years, as in 1936 its base was reorganized to accommodate the Bulgarian Naval Academy. Until recently, the island was a restricted area, where Bulgarian Navy ships were anchored, but it was to be demilitarized in 2005.



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