Stara Zagora Province
Stara Zagora ( bg, Област Стара Загора), formerly known as the Stara Zagora okrug, is a province of south-central Bulgaria. It is named after its administrative and industrial centre—the city of Stara Zagora—the sixt ...
, South-central
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 Macedon ...
. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous
Maglizh is located in the Kazanlak Valley at the foothills of the Balkan Mountains.
Religion
The population is composed mostly of
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
. There are two churches in the town and a monastery outside it:
* Orthodox Church "St. Dimitar" ( St. Demetrius) in the upper quarter of the city. The construction of the church was begun by master
Kolyu Ficheto
Nikola Fichev ( bg, Никола Фичев) (1800 Dryanovo, Direnova, Ottoman Empire - 1881 Veliko Tarnovo, Principality of Bulgaria), commonly known as Kolyo Ficheto ( bg, Колю Фичето) or with his Turkish honorific Usta (Master) Kolyo ...
(Nikola Fichev), but shortly afterwards he fell ill and the construction was continued by one of his best students - Gencho Novakov. The alst is also the author of the
iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand t ...
. The church is unique in terms of architecture and was declared a monument of culture. The foundation stone of the temple was laid in the 1880s, and the consecration took place in 1891 on St. Demetrius' Day.
* Orthodox Church "Assumption of the Virgin Mary".
* Monastery "
St. Nicholas
Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Demre ...
" . The Saint Nicholas Maglizh Monastery (“Saint Nicholas of the Fog Monastery”) is located a mile north of the city Maglizh on the slopes of the Central Balkans, 13 km east of the city
Kazanlak
Kazanlak ( bg, Казанлък , Thracian and Greek Σευθόπολις (''Seuthopolis''), tr, Kazanlık) is a Bulgarian town in Stara Zagora Province, located in the middle of the plain of the same name, at the foot of the Balkan mountain ...
and 33 km from the city of
Stara Zagora
Stara Zagora ( bg, Стара Загора, ) is the sixth-largest city in Bulgaria, and the administrative capital of the homonymous Stara Zagora Province.
Name
The name comes from the Slavic root ''star'' ("old") and the name of the medieva ...
. The monastery complex includes a church, living quarters, stables, and two chapels – The Saints Peter and Paul Chapel and The Archangel Michael Chapel. The monastery is recognized by all three of these names: The Saint Nicholas Monastery, The Saints Peter and Paul Monastery, and The
Archangel Michael
Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...
Monastery. The oldest object at the monastery is a censer on which there is a Greek inscription dated 1233, which was during the reign of Tsar Ivan-Asen (reign 1218–1241), so the history of the monastery has some connection with the
Second Bulgarian Empire
The Second Bulgarian Empire (; ) was a medieval Bulgarians, Bulgarian state that existed between 1185 and 1396. A successor to the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Tsars Kaloyan of Bulgaria, Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II ...
(1185-1393).
After the invasion of the Ottoman Turks during the 14th century, the monastery was often plundered and burned, and then rebuilt. In 1834, the current church at the monastery was erected, which is a single-nave, single-apse construction without a cupola. A point of interest in the church is that some of the Bulgarian saints depicted by the masters on the church's icons are wearing traditional Bulgarian clothing. During the
Russo-Turkish war
The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histo ...
(1877-1888), the
Ottomans
The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922).
Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
again set fire to the monastery, but the local residents were able to rebuild it in just a year and a half. The monastery maintained a school for rug weaving, and it also provided shelter for revolutionaries who fought to liberate the country from the Ottomans.
Vasil Levski
Vasil Levski ( bg, Васил Левски, spelled in old Bulgarian orthography as , ), born Vasil Ivanov Kunchev (; 18 July 1837 – 18 February 1873), was a Bulgarian revolutionary who is, today, a national hero of Bulgaria. Dubbed t ...
(1837-1873), known as an apostle of the Bulgarian revolution, stayed at the monastery on several occasions. In 1922, the monastery was converted into a convent, and there are still a few nuns living on the premises.
Main sights
Museums
* Maglizh has one of the richest collections of ores and minerals in Bulgaria. It was donated to the city by Academician Yovcho Smilov Yovchev, originally from Maglizh. The collection is on display in the community center.
* Exhibition of paintings by artists from Maglizh, and paintings on silk by the young artists of the city can be seen in the children's center - in the building of the cinema 3rd floor.
Nature
* "Skokovete" - thus are called the two waterfalls that are located on the "Selchenska" River, descending through a picturesque gorge above the town of Maglizh. The falls were declared a natural wonder in 196 The "Golemia Skok"(The Big Drop) waterfall is located about 40 minutes away along fearsome cliffs, shady glades and pools, and after crossing the river several times. Its height is 15 m. The "Malkia Skok"(The Little Drop) is a fall before the big fall and is a small pool formed by a drop.
* Vinishki Rock Nature Reserve, where an icon dedicated to The Holy Trinity has been carved into the cliff. It is a rock formation above the Maglizhki monastery, to the north. A large cross was erected on top of the rock, visible from afar. Suitable for rock climbing.
Other
* Maglishka tomb - belongs to the architectural style of the domed tombs. It is a cultural monument of national importance. In the summer of 1965, about 3 km west of Maglizh, in connection with the construction of an industrial facility, was conducted an excavation of Thracian burial mound with a height of 13 m, and a diameter of 48 m. It is part of a large necropolis, located over a large area to the southern slopes of the mountain, and one of the many tombs in
The Valley of the Thracian Rulers
The Valley of the Thracian Rulers is a name which was made popular by the archaeologist Georgi Kitov and describes the extremely high concentration and variety of monuments of the Thracian culture in the Kazanlak Valley. It is believed that there ...
.
* Memorial monument to those who died in battle. The monument is located in the central square of the city. It represents an inclined structure coated with dark gray marble and dark green granite. It consists of four parts - three are marble and thereon are inscribed the names of the 166 residents from the city who have died during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defe ...
, and
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 opposin ...
. The 4th part - granite, has an embossed honorary sign and the inscriptions "Bulgaria, they died for you ..." and "From the grateful descendants of the town of Maglizh."
Events
Every year on
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Palm Sunday marks the first day of Holy ...
the citizens of Maglizh celebrate their town's holiday. Citywide celebrations with diverse cultural and musical program are organized.
Honour
Maglizh Rocks
Maglizh Rocks ( bg, Мъглижки скали, ‘Maglizhki Skali’ m&-'glizh-ki ska-'li) are a group of rocks off the northwest coast of Smith Island, South Shetland Islands. The two adjacent principal rocks extending in east-west directio ...
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 195 ...