The secrets of Aladja Monastery

People choosing all-inclusive hotels in Golden Sands are lucky not only to get into a resort offering high quality service, reasonable prices and beautiful beaches, but also to touch a century of history. Perhaps the most sacred place in the region is the Aladja Monastery. This mystical spot has for years been an attractive center for lovers of cultural tourism, as well as for enthusiasts to experience a memorable experience with their family.

The Aladzha Monastery is located very close to the hotels of Golden Sands, above the resort, hidden among the dense forest of the nature park, for which it is a little known fact that it is the second officially declared park in Bulgaria, as early as 1943. The story of Aladja Monastery is based mostly on oral traditions - which makes the mystery even more fascinating. There is no precise information as to who and when he built the rock caves, which would later become the cells of the hermit monks - however, it is known that they sought ascetic solitude there only after Christianity was officially adopted in Bulgaria. One of the legends is that there is no information whatsoever about the Christian name of the monastery, whose familiar name today comes from the Turkish word "aladzha" - colorful. However, if it is assumed that "Aladzha" is actually two words and "Al" is the definite article, then "aja" can be translated from Sanskrit as "lamb" (divine). Another part tells the story of a secret labyrinth of tunnels, and this mystery is fueled even more by the presence of a rocky hole that has not yet been explored to this day.

The first systematic studies were carried out at the end of the 19th century by the brothers Herminegild and Karel Shkorpil who made a deep mark in Bulgarian archeology. In 1912, Aladzha Monastery was declared a national antiquity and in 1957 - a cultural monument of national importance. At the beginning of the last century, Karel Shkorpil enriched the list of legends about the Aladzha Monastery, recording a legend he had heard that the patron of the monastery was St. Spas. There are also many traditions of treasures hidden in the ruins and wandering among the ruins of the monks' spirits - all these legends are the attraction for the numerous visitors who have chosen to stay at the Golden Sands hotel. In the 1970s, a museum building was built near the monastery, which, along with the permanent exposition representing the past of the monastic monastery, also housed others dedicated to Bulgarian Christian culture - thus this ancient Christian center became one of the most interesting places for cultural tourism in Bulgaria.

Another attraction is the light show Legends of Aldaja Monastery. It is held every summer season - starting in early June. This year, the attraction is set not only on Saturday, but also on Sunday.

The light show Legends of Aladzha Monastery was based on Valery Kinov's book The Legend of Aladzha Monastery, including not only the cultural heritage of the tribes and peoples that inhabited the Varna region from ancient times. The performance lasts 30 minutes and takes place in the evening of 21 hours.