Kyustendil ( bg, Кюстендил ) is a town in the far west of

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

, the capital of the

Kyustendil Province Kyustendil Province ( bg, Област Кюстендил, trl ''Oblast Kyustendil'') is a province in southwestern Bulgaria, extending over an area of (constituting 2.7% of the total territory of the Republic of Bulgaria), and with a populat ...

, a former bishopric and present Latin Catholic

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbis ...

. The town is situated in the southern part of the

Kyustendil Valley Kyustendil ( bg, Кюстендил ) is List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, a town in the far west of Bulgaria, the capital of the Kyustendil Province, a former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see. The town is situated in the sou ...

, near the borders of

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

and

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

; 90 km southwest of

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

, 130 km northeast of

Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and List of cities in North Macedonia by population, largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Sk ...

and 243 km north of

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

. The population is 37 799, with a Bulgarian majority and a Roma minority. During the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

, a

Thracian The Thracians (; grc, Θρᾷκες ''Thrāikes''; la, Thraci) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Eastern and Southeastern Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied ...

settlement was located within the town, later known as Roman in the 1st century AD. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, the town switched hands between the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

, Bulgaria and Serbia, prior to Ottoman annexation in 1395. After centuries of Ottoman rule, the town became part of an independent Bulgarian state in 1878.

Names

The modern name is derived from ''Kösten'', the Turkified name of the 14th-century local feudal

Constantine Dragaš Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I *Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...

, from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''constans'', "steadfast" + the Turkish ''il'' "shire, county" or "bath/spa".Ćorović 2001, ch. 3, XIII. Boj na Kosovu The town was known as ''Pautalia'' ( el, Παυταλία) in Antiquity and as ''Velbazhd'' (Latin ,

Medieval Greek Medieval Greek (also known as Middle Greek, Byzantine Greek, or Romaic) is the stage of the Greek language between the end of classical antiquity in the 5th–6th centuries and the end of the Middle Ages, conventionally dated to the Fall of Co ...

: ''Belebousda'') in the Middle Ages.

Eponymy

Kyustendil Ridge Kyustendil Ridge is a partly ice-free ridge rising to Reference Elevation Model of ...

Graham Land Graham Land is the portion of the Antarctic Peninsula that lies north of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This description of Graham Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between the British Antarctic Place-names Committee an ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

is named after the city, and

Pautalia Glacier Pautalia Glacier ( bg, ледник Пауталия, lednik Pautaliya, ) is a small glacier on Burgas Peninsula, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica situated northeast of Strandzha Glacier and south of Sopot Ice Piedmo ...

Livingston Island Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of Antarctic islands north of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was the first land discovered south of 60 ...

in the

South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 1 ...

is named after Pautalia (its

ancestor settlement).

History

Prehistory and Roman era

settlement was founded at the place of the modern town in the 5th-4th centuries BC and was known for its

asclepion Asclepieia ( grc, Ἀσκληπιεῖον ''Asklepieion''; Ἀσκλαπιεῖον in Doric dialect; Latin ''aesculapīum'') were healing temples located in ancient Greece (and in the wider Hellenistic and Roman world), dedicated to Asclepius ...

, a shrine dedicated to medicine god Asclepius. Under the name Pautalia ( grc, Παυταλία or Πανταλία) it was a town in the district of Dentheletica. Its position in the

Peutinger Table ' (Latin for "The Peutinger Map"), also referred to as Peutinger's Tabula or Peutinger Table, is an illustrated ' (ancient Roman road map) showing the layout of the '' cursus publicus'', the road network of the Roman Empire. The map is a 13th-ce ...

places Pautalia at Kyustendil; and the situation of this town at the sources of the Strymon agrees remarkably with the figure of a river-god, accompanied by the "legend" Στρύμων ("Strymon"), on some of the autonomous coins of Pautalia, as well as with the letters ΕΝ. ΠΑΙΩ. ("En. Paio"), which, on other coins, show that the inhabitants considered themselves to be

Paeonians Paeonians were an ancient Indo-European people that dwelt in Paeonia. Paeonia was an old country whose location was to the north of Ancient Macedonia, to the south of Dardania, to the west of Thrace and to the east of Illyria, most of their lan ...

, like the other inhabitants of the banks of that river. On another coin of Pautalia, the productions of its territory are alluded to, namely, gold, silver, wine, and corn. In the reign of Hadrian, the people both of Pautalia and

Serdica Serdika or Serdica ( Bulgarian: ) is the historical Roman name of Sofia, now the capital of Bulgaria. Currently, Serdika is the name of a district located in the city. It includes four neighbourhoods: "Fondovi zhilishta"; "Banishora", "Orlandov ...

added Ulpia to the name of their town, probably in consequence of some benefit received from that emperor. Stephanus of Byzantium has a district called Paetalia (Παιταλία), which he assigns to Thrace, probably a false reading. Plan of the medieval Bulgarian fortress Velbazhd

Plan of the medieval Bulgarian fortress Velbazhd

In the 1st century AD, it was administratively part of Macedonia. Later the city was part of the province of

Dacia Mediterranea Dacia Mediterranea (Mid-land Dacia; ) was a late antique Roman province, whose capital city was Serdica (or Sardica; later Sradetz or Sredets, now Sofia). The date for the establishment of Dacia Mediterranea is uncertain. It was traditionally he ...

and the third largest city in the province. The Roman fortress of Pautalia of the 2nd to 4th century had an area of over 29 hectares (appr. 72 acres). The fortress wall was built mainly of granite blocks and unusually its façade was supported with pillars and arches behind. The wall was 2.5m wide allowing small catapults to be mounted atop. A second, smaller fortress of area 2 hectares was built in the town in the 4th century (known by its later Ottoman name ''Hisarlaka''). Many Thracian and Roman objects are exhibited in the town'
Regional History Museum
most notably an impressive numismatic collection. Recent excavations have revealed an early Christian, late Roman monumental bishop's palace.

Middle Ages

The town was mentioned under the Slavic name of Velbazhd (Велбъжд, meaning "camel") in a 1019 charter by the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

Emperor

Basil II Basil II Porphyrogenitus ( gr, Βασίλειος Πορφυρογέννητος ;) and, most often, the Purple-born ( gr, ὁ πορφυρογέννητος, translit=ho porphyrogennetos).. 958 – 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar S ...

. It became a major religious and administrative centre of the

, and subsequently the Second Bulgarian Empire after

Kaloyan Kaloyan or Kalojan, also known as Ioannitsa or Johannitsa ( bg, Калоян, Йоаница; 1170 – October 1207), was emperor or tsar of Bulgaria from 1196 to 1207. He was the younger brother of Theodor and Asen, who led the anti-Byzant ...

conquered the area between 1201 and 1203. Battle of Velbužd, detail from Visoki Dečani

In 1282, Serbian king Stefan Milutin defeated the Byzantine Empire and conquered Velbazhd. In 1330, the Serbs defeated the Bulgarians in the vicinity, effectively keeping the region to the Serbian Kingdom. Serbian magnate

Dejan Dejan (Cyrillic: Дејан) is a Serbian masculine given name, derived from the Slavic verb ''dejati'', meaning "to act, to do". The name and the derived surname Dejanović are common among South Slavs. The name is first recorded in 1325 (1333) ...

, one of the prominent figures of the

Serbian Empire The Serbian Empire ( sr, / , ) was a medieval Serbian state that emerged from the Kingdom of Serbia. It was established in 1346 by Dušan the Mighty, who significantly expanded the state. Under Dušan's rule, Serbia was the major power in the ...

and its subsequent

fall Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southe ...

, had initially held a large province in the

Kumanovo Kumanovo ( mk, Куманово ; also known by other alternative names) is a city in North Macedonia and the seat of Kumanovo Municipality, the largest municipality in the country. Kumanovo lies above sea level and is surrounded by the K ...

region under Dušan, and was later as ''despot'' under

Uroš V __NOTOC__ Uroš ( sr-Cyrl, Урош) is a South Slavic given or last name primarily spread amongst Serbs, and Slovenians (mostly of Serbian descent). This noun has been interpreted as "lords", because it usually appears in conjunction with ''velmõ ...

assigned the Upper Struma river with Velbuzhd.Mihaljčić 1989, pp. 79-81Fajfric, 42 Upon Dejan's death, his possessions in Žegligovo and Upper Struma were given to his two sons, Jovan Dragaš (d. 1378) and

Konstantin The first name Konstantin () is a derivation from the Latin name ''Constantinus'' ( Constantine) in some European languages, such as Russian and German. As a Christian given name, it refers to the memory of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great ...

(d. 1395). The Dejanović brothers ruled a spacious province in eastern Macedonia,Samardzic 1892 p. 22: in the southern lands of the Empire, and remained loyal to Uroš V,Fine 1994, p. 358 until 1373, when

Orhan Gazi Orhan Ghazi ( ota, اورخان غازی; tr, Orhan Gazi, also spelled Orkhan, 1281 – March 1362) was the second bey of the Ottoman Beylik from 1323/4 to 1362. He was born in Söğüt, as the son of Osman I. In the early stages of hi ...

's Ottoman army compelled Jovan to recognize Ottoman vassalage.

Ottoman era

The city was a

sanjak Sanjaks (liwāʾ) (plural form: alwiyāʾ) * Armenian: նահանգ (''nahang''; meaning "province") * Bulgarian: окръг (''okrǔg''; meaning "county", "province", or "region") * el, Διοίκησις (''dioikēsis'', meaning "province" ...

centre initially in Rumelia governorate-general, after that in the Bitola and

Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, while ...

vilayet A vilayet ( ota, , "province"), also known by various other names, was a first-order administrative division of the later Ottoman Empire. It was introduced in the Vilayet Law of 21 January 1867, part of the Tanzimat reform movement initiated ...

s (province). It was a

kaza A kaza (, , , plural: , , ; ota, قضا, script=Arab, (; meaning 'borough') * bg, околия (; meaning 'district'); also Кааза * el, υποδιοίκησις () or (, which means 'borough' or 'municipality'); also () * lad, kaza , ...

centre in the

sanjak of Danube Province until the creation of the Principality of Bulgaria in 1878.

Modern

The residents of Kyustendil took an active part in the

Bulgarian National Revival The Bulgarian National Revival ( bg, Българско национално възраждане, ''Balgarsko natsionalno vazrazhdane'' or simply: Възраждане, ''Vazrazhdane'', and tr, Bulgar ulus canlanması) sometimes called the Bu ...

and crafts and trade flourished. The town was liberated from

Ottoman rule Ottoman is the Turkish spelling of the Arabic masculine given name Uthman ( ar, عُثْمان, ‘uthmān). It may refer to: Governments and dynasties * Ottoman Caliphate, an Islamic caliphate from 1517 to 1924 * Ottoman Empire, in existence fro ...

on 29 January 1878.

Demographics

According to the 2021 census, the population of Kyustendil is 37,799 people.

Ethnic linguistic and religious composition

According to the 2011 census data, people who chose to declare their ethnic identity were distributed as follows:Population by province, municipality, settlement and ethnic identification, by 1 February 2011; Bulgarian National Statistical Institute
*

Bulgarians Bulgarians ( bg, българи, Bǎlgari, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and the rest of Southeast Europe. Etymology Bulgarians derive their ethnonym from the Bulgars. Their name is not completely unders ...

: 36,732 (82.5%) * Roma: 5,179 (11.6%) *

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic ...

: 2 (0.0%) * Others: 143 (0.3%) * Indefinable: 296 (0.7%) ** Undeclared: 2,161 (4.9%) Total: 44,513 Roma people are mainly concentrated within the town limits. In the meantime, about a fourth of Bulgarians live in the surrounding villages, also part of the Municipality of Kyustendil.

Religion

Kyustendil today belongs to the Sofia diocese in regards of Orthodox church-administrative structure. The city is the center of the vicarage and the Kyustendil Eparchy; in the past, Kyustendil was the seat of the diocese, that latter was closed in 1884. The majority of the urban population profess the Orthodox faith today. There are several Christian denominations associated with Protestantism and a small Jewish community. During Ottoman rule Kyustendil had mostly Turkish population professing Islam, but of the many mosques of the time, now only two remain. Today the city has only Christian churches operating. In Antiquity, Pautalia was a bishopric in the

Roman province The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...

, suffragan to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Sardica, in the sway of the

Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ( el, Οἰκουμενικὸν Πατριαρχεῖον Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, translit=Oikoumenikón Patriarkhíon Konstantinoupóleos, ; la, Patriarchatus Oecumenicus Constanti ...

. Its only recorded residential bishop was * Evangelius, who was summoned to Constantinople by

Byzantine emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, to Fall of Constantinople, its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. On ...

Anastasius I Dicorus in 516 during the controversy against

Monophysitism Monophysitism ( or ) or monophysism () is a Christological term derived from the Greek (, "alone, solitary") and (, a word that has many meanings but in this context means "nature"). It is defined as "a doctrine that in the person of the incarn ...

. During the brief Late Medieval period, when the Bulgarian Church entered in full communion with Rome (instead of Orthodox Constantinople), one of its three 'Uniate Catholic' (equivalent to modern

Eastern Catholic The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also called the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous (''sui iuris'') particular churches of ...

) sees was Velebusdus, which was even raised to a Metropolitan Latin Archbishopric as

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 ...

sent its incumbent Athanasius the archiepiscopal

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropol ...

on 25 February 1204.

Latin Titular see

The archdiocese was nominally restored in 1933 as Latin Metropolitan

Titular archbishopric A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbish ...

of Velebusdus (Latin) / Velebusdo (Curiate Italian) / Velesdien(sis) (Latin adjective). It has had the following incumbents, so far of the fitting Metropolitan (highest; perhaps some merely of intermediary Archiepiscopal) rank : * (1953.12.07 – death 1956.07.31) as emeritate and promotion; formerly Titular Bishop of

Dadima Dadima was a town of Mesopotamia (Roman province), Mesopotamia, inhabited during Byzantine times. It became the seat of a Christian bishop; no longer a residential see, it remains a titular see of the Roman Catholic Church. Its site is located nea ...

(1927.02.25 – 1927.04.26) as Auxiliary Bishop of Diocese of Seckau (

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

) (1927.02.25 – 1927.04.26), succeeded as Bishop of Seckau (1927.04.26 – 1953.12.07) * Aston Sebastian Joseph Chichester,

Jesuit Order , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

(S.J.) (1956.11.23 – death 1962.10.24) as emeritate, formerly Titular Bishop of Ubaza (1931.03.04 – 1955.01.01) as only

Apostolic Vicar Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Chur ...

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

(then in (Southern) Rhodesia, now in

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

) (1931.03.04 – 1955.01.01) promoted as first Metropolitan Archbishop of

(now Harare, Zimbabwe) (1955.01.01 – 1956.11.23) *

Antônio de Almeida Lustosa Antônio de Almeida Lustosa (11 February 1886 - 14 August 1974) was a Brazilian Roman Catholic prelate and professed member from the Salesians of Don Bosco. Lustosa served in two dioceses and two archdioceses in his career where he was reputed ...

Salesians , image = File:Stemma big.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , abbreviation = SDB , formation = , founder = John Bosco , founding_location = Valdocco, Turi ...

(S.D.B.) (1963.02.16 – resigned 1971.03.16) as emeritate, formerly Bishop of

Uberaba Uberaba () is a city in the state of Minas Gerais, southeast Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Highlands at above sea level on the Uberaba River, and away from the state capital, Belo Horizonte. The city status was granted in 1856, and i ...

(Brazil) (1924.07.04 – 1928.12.17), Bishop of

Corumbá Corumbá is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, 425 km northwest of Campo Grande, the state's capital. It has a population of approximately 112,000 inhabitants, and its economy is based mainly on agriculture, anima ...

(Brazil) (1928.12.17 – 1931.07.10), Metropolitan Archbishop of

Belém do Pará Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in t ...

(Brazil) (1931.07.10 – 1941.07.19), Metropolitan Archbishop of Fortaleza (Brazil) (1941.07.19 – 1963.02.16); died 1976 *

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(M.S.C.) (1971.06.05 – 1972.04.07) as

Coadjutor Archbishop The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coad ...

Nouméa Nouméa () is the capital and largest city of the French special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and ...

( New Caledonia) (1971.06.05 – 1972.04.07), succeeding as Metropolitan Archbishop of Nouméa (1972.04.07 – 1981); previously Titular Bishop of Echinus (1960.06.14 – 1966.11.15) as

Yule Island Yule Island is a small island in Central Province (Papua New Guinea), Central Province, Papua New Guinea. It is located 160 km NW from Port Moresby, on the south coast of Papua New Guinea. History Yule Island was probably named after Charle ...

(

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

) (1960.06.14 – 1966.11.15), then Bishop of Bereina (Papua New Guinea) (1966.11.15 – retired 1971.06.05), died 1992 *

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(1972.06.26 – 1975.04.10) as

Kaduna Kaduna is the capital city of Kaduna State, and the former political capital of Northern Nigeria. It is located in north-western Nigeria, on the Kaduna River. It is a trade Centre and a major transportation hub as the gateway to northern Nige ...

(

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

) (1972.06.26 – 1975.04.10), next succeeded as Metropolitan Archbishop of Kaduna (1975.04.10 – retired 2007.11.16) * Enzio d'Antonio (1979.06.24 – 1982.05.13) as intermezzo : previously Archbishop-Bishop of

Trivento Trivento is a ''comune'' (municipality) and Catholic episcopal see in the Province of Campobasso in the southern Italian region Molise, located about northwest of Campobasso. Trivento borders the following municipalities: Castelguidone, Castelmau ...

(Italy) (1975.03.18 – 1977),

of Boiano–Campobasso (Italy) (1975.03.18 – 1977.01.31) succeeding as Metropolitan Archbishop of Boiano-Campobasso (1977.01.31 – 1979.06.24); later last Archbishop of Lanciano (Italy) (1982.05.13 – 1986.09.30), restyled first Archbishop of Lanciano–Ortona (Italy) (1986.09.30 – retired 2000.11.25) *

José Manuel Estepa Llaurens José Manuel Estepa Llaurens (1 January 1926 – 21 July 2019) was a Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church who was Military Archbishopric of Spain, Military Archbishop of Spain from 1983 to 2003. He was made a Cardinal (Catholic Church), card ...

(1983.07.30 – 1989.11.18) first as Archbishop

Military Vicar A military ordinariate is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church, of the Latin or an Eastern church, responsible for the pastoral care of Catholics serving in the armed forces of a nation. Until 1986, they were called "military ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

(

) (1983.07.30 – 1986.07.21), restyled Archbishop

Military Ordinary A military ordinariate is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church, of the Latin or an Eastern church, responsible for the pastoral care of Catholics serving in the armed forces of a nation. Until 1986, they were called "military ...

(1986.07.21 – retired 2003.10.30); later Titular Archbishop of

Italica Italica ( es, Itálica) was a Roman town founded by Italic settlers in Hispania; its site is close to the town of Santiponce, part of the province of Seville in modern-day Spain. It was founded in 206 BC by Roman general Scipio as a settleme ...

(1989.11.18 – 1998.03.07), created

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

San Gabriele Arcangelo all'Acqua Traversa St. Gabriel the Archangel is one of the churches of Rome, located in the suburbs Della Vittoria, Viale Cortina d'Ampezzo. History It was built in the twentieth century. The church is home to the parish, which was established August 30, 1956 by ...

(2010.11.20 011.04.29– ...); previously Titular Bishop of

Tisili Tisili is a former city and diocese of in Roman Africa; it is now a Catholic titular see in modern Tunisia, with its precise location not being defined. History Tisili was important enough in the Roman province of Africa proconsularis to become ...

(1972.09.05 – 1983.07.30) as Auxiliary Bishop of

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

(Spain) (1972.09.05 – 1983.07.30) * Archbishop

Gábor Pintér Gábor Pintér (born 9 March 1964) is a Hungarian prelate of the Catholic Church who was Apostolic Nuncio to Belarus from 2016 to 2019 and has been Apostolic Nuncio to Honduras since 2019. Career Gábor Pintér was born on 9 March 1964 in Ku ...

(2016.05.13 – ...), papal diplomat :

Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international ...

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

, no previous prelature.

Economy

The city is the center of light and manufacturing industry: logging, footwear, knitwear, ready-made clothes, toys, packaging, alcohol producers, bakery, printing and canning industries. There are companies for the production of condensers, power transformers, household and kitchen furniture and joinery. Hotels and tourism have evolved in recent years. The region has traditions in fruit growing and trade in fresh and dried fruits. Kyustendil is a center of an agricultural area with centuries-old traditions in the field of fruit growing, which is why the town and its surroundings are known as the "Orchard Garden of Bulgaria".

Geography

Kyustendil is a national

balneological Balneotherapy ( la, balneum "bath") is a method of treating diseases by bathing, a traditional medicine technique usually practiced at spas. Since ancient times, humans have used hot springs, public baths and thermal medicine for therapeutic ef ...

resort at an altitude of 600 metres. There are more than 40 mineral springs in the town. The waters have a high content of sulfite compounds. These are used for the treatment of the locomotory system,

gynecological Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined are ...

and other kinds of diseases. The resort region includes several baths, balneological complexes and others. Kyustendil is located at the foot of the

Osogovo Osogovo ( Bulgarian/Macedonian: ), or Osogovska Planina or Osogovski Planini (Осоговска Планина or Осоговски Планини), is a mountain range and ski resort between the south-western part of Bulgaria (Kyustendil Provi ...

mountain, on both banks of the Banshtica River and is a well-known centre of

balneology Balneotherapy ( la, balneum "bath") is a method of treating diseases by bathing, a traditional medicine technique usually practiced at spas. Since ancient times, humans have used hot springs, public baths and thermal medicine for therapeutic ef ...

and fruit growing. The town is 90 kilometres southwest of

, 69 km northwest of

Blagoevgrad Blagoevgrad ( bg, Благоевград ) is а town in Southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Municipality and of Blagoevgrad Province. With a population of almost inhabitants, it is the economic and cultural centre ...

and 22 km from the border with

and

. The fortress was built by the Romans.

Thermae In ancient Rome, (from Greek , "hot") and (from Greek ) were facilities for bathing. usually refers to the large imperial bath complexes, while were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed in great numbers throughout ...

, basilicas, floor mosaics have been uncovered.Adrian Room, "Placenames of the World" McFarland & Company (2005)

Climate

Kyustendil has a mediterranean climate with continental influence (because of the Struma river). The average annual temperature is around . The highest average temperatures are in July and August at and lowest in January at . The annual temperature range is .Summers are hot and long, winters are short and cool, spring comes early and stays steady after the first days of March and the autumn is long, warm and sunny while maintaining stable until the end of November. Rainfall is moderate – average , and there is snow on average 10–12 days in winter, although it may vary significantly. Due to moderately severe cloudy and hazy low (average 20 days per year) duration of sunshine is significant – about 2,300 hours per year. The second half of the summer and early autumn in the town are the sunniest of the year, and the cloud cover is mostly in the winter months. Humidity is moderate. It varies between 65 and 70%, and is relatively low in the summer months (especially in August). Kyustendil valley is characterized by low windiness, spring being the most windy season and autumn the most quiet. The average annual wind speed is . During the winter and spring months in the city appears warm and gusty wind "foehn", which causes sudden warming of time. The temperature regime is characterized by some special features. Winter temperature inversions occur, and in the summer as a result of overheating of the daily maximum air temperatures rise to . Summer nights are mild or warm with temperatures in the range of , although temperatures tend to drop below in the early mornings for about two hours. The lowest temperature in the city is measured on 20 January 1967 at , and the highest reached both in July and August, most recently on 24 July 2007.

Notable locals

, 14th-century local Serbian ruler *

Ilyo Voyvoda Iliya Markov ( bg, Илия Марков, mk, Илија Марков, ; May 28, 1805 – April 17, 1898), known as Ilyo Voyvoda or Dedo Iljo Maleshevski, was a Bulgarian revolutionary from the region of Macedonia, who is considered a national ...

(1805–1898),

hajduk A hajduk ( hu, hajdúk, plural of ) is a type of irregular infantry found in Central and parts of Southeast Europe from the late 16th to mid 19th centuries. They have reputations ranging from bandits to freedom fighters depending on time, p ...

, revolutionary and Bulgarian liberation fighter (died in Kyustendil) * Vladimir Dimitrov (1882–1960), painter *

Dimitar Peshev Dimitar Peshev ( bg, Димитър Пешев; 25 June 1894 – 20 February 1973) was the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Bulgaria and Minister of Justice (1935–1936), before World War II. He rebelled against the pro-Nazi cabinet and ...

(1894–1973),

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Minister of Justice and Deputy speaker of the Parliament who prevented the deportation of the

Bulgarian Jews The history of the Jews in Bulgaria goes back almost 2,000 years. Jews have had a continuous presence in historic Bulgarian lands since before the 2nd century CE, and have often played an important part in the history of Bulgaria. Today, ...

to Nazi death camps *

Todor Angelov Todor Angelov Dzekov ( bg, Тодор Ангелов Дзеков, rendered in French as ''Théodore Angheloff''; 12 January 1900 – 30 November 1943) was a Bulgarian anarcho-communist activist who lived in exile in Belgium for much of his adul ...

(1900–1943), communist revolutionary and

Belgian resistance The Belgian Resistance (french: Résistance belge, nl, Belgisch verzet) collectively refers to the resistance movements opposed to the German occupation of Belgium during World War II. Within Belgium, resistance was fragmented between many se ...

fighter *

Nikolay Diulgheroff Nikolay Diulgheroff ( bg, Николай Дюлгеров, ''Nikolay Dyulgerov''; 20 December 1901 – 9 June 1982) was a Bulgarians, Bulgarian artist, designer and architect who was active in Italy as a prominent representative of interwar Italia ...

(1901–1982),

futurist Futurists (also known as futurologists, prospectivists, foresight practitioners and horizon scanners) are people whose specialty or interest is futurology or the attempt to systematically explore predictions and possibilities abo ...

artist *

Marin Goleminov Marin Petrov Goleminov ( bg, Марин Петров Големинов; 28 September 1908 – 19 February 2000) was a Bulgarian composer, violinist, conductor and pedagogue. Life and career Goleminov was born in Kyustendil, Bulgaria; the son ...

(1908–2000), composer *

Irina Taseva Irina Taseva (in Bulgarian language, Bulgarian: Ирина Тасева) was a Bulgarians, Bulgarian actress. She was born on July 22, 1910, in the town of Kiustendil, Bulgaria. She graduated from high school in Sofia, Bulgaria and then enrolled ...

(1910–1990), Bulgarian actress

Gallery

File:Kyustendil 25.jpg, The municipality hall (architect

Friedrich Grünanger Friedrich Grünanger (25 January 1856 – 14 December 1929) was a Transylvanian Austrian architect who worked primarily in Bulgaria. Born in Schäßburg in Austria-Hungary (today Sighişoara in Romania), Grünanger studied at the Academy of Fi ...

) File:Kyustendil 34.jpg, The municipality hall File:SvetiGeorgi.Kyustendil.1.jpg, 10th-11th-century Church of St George in the Kolusha neighbourhood File:Kyustendil 67.JPG,

Timber-framed Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large woode ...

tower File:FatihMehmetCami.jpg, Fatih Mehmet Mosque (15th century) File:CifteHamamKyustendil.jpg, Cifte Spa Bath File:Pirgova Tower Kyustendil Bulgaria TB.jpg, The 15th-16th-century Pyrgos Tower File:Kyustendil TB (11).jpg, The Hisarlaka medieval fortress lying atop a hill overlooking the town File:Kyustendil Town, Church of Saint Menas, Jan 2012.jpg, The Church of Saint Menas, built in 1859, situated in the west part of Kystendil. File:Kyustendil Feb 2009 (2).JPG, Building in Kyustendil

References

Sources and external links

*
Kyustendil District Administration Provides information about the region, photos, historical review, and development projects

Kyustendil tourist destination – tourism opportunities in the Kyustendil region

Kustendil Info, Information web Portal of Kyustendil

KnCity.info, a website about Kyustendil

Kyustendil at Journey.bg

Kyustendil at BGGlobe

Regional History Museum

; Bibliography - ecclesiastical history * Pius Bonifacius Gams, ''Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae'', Leipzig 1931, pp. 417 e 432 * Daniele Farlati-Jacopo Coleti, ''Illyricum Sacrum'', vol. VIII, Venece 1817, p. 77 e p. 246 * Konrad Eubel, ''Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi'', vol. 1, p. 130 * Jacques Zeiller, ''Les origines chrétiennes dans les provinces danubiennes de l'empire romain'', Paris 1918, p. 160 {{Authority control Spa towns in Bulgaria Populated places in Kyustendil Province Dacia Mediterranea