Paroria ( bg, Парория, gr, Παρορία) is a protected area in the Strandzha Mountains of southeastern
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 ...
. It is known for its old-growth forests and also for being a 14th-century monastic center led by
Gregory of Sinai
Gregory of Sinai, or in Serbian and Bulgarian Grigorije Sinaita ( 1260s – 27 November 1346), was a Greek Christian monk and writer from Smyrna. He was instrumental in the emergence of hesychasm on Mount Athos in the early 14th century.
Biograph ...
and his disciples such as
Romylos of Vidin
Romylos of Vidin also known as Romylos of Ravanica or Romylus the Athonite (''Romil Svetogorac'', ''Romil Svetogorski''); ( bg, Ромил Бдински; sr, Ромил Раванички) was a 14th-century Bulgarian cleric, a disciple of Gre ...
. The Serbian monk
Grigorije of Gornjak
Grigorije of Gornjak ( sr, Григорије Горњачки, Григорије из Горњака; 1375–1379), also known as Grigorije the Younger () and Grigorije the Silent (), was Serbian Orthodox monk who was canonized as saint. He stud ...
also lived in Paroria.
Paroriais located just to the west of the villages of
Zabernovo
Zabernovo ( bg, Заберново) is a village in Malko Tarnovo Municipality, in Burgas Province, in southeastern Bulgaria.Kalovo in
Malko Tarnovo Municipality
Malko Tarnovo Municipality ( Bulgarian: Община Малко Търново, ''Obshtina Malko Tarnovo'') is a municipality in Burgas Province, Bulgaria. It includes the town of Malko Tarnovo
Malko Tarnovo ( bg, Малко Търново , "Li ...
,
Burgas Province
Burgas Province ( bg, Област Бургас, translit=Oblast Burgas, formerly the Burgas okrug) is a province in southeastern Bulgaria, including the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. The province is named after its administrative and ind ...
(less than 30 km from the border with Turkey).
Monasticism
Paroria is known for being a Christian monastic center in the 14th century. During the mid-1300s,
Gregory of Sinai
Gregory of Sinai, or in Serbian and Bulgarian Grigorije Sinaita ( 1260s – 27 November 1346), was a Greek Christian monk and writer from Smyrna. He was instrumental in the emergence of hesychasm on Mount Athos in the early 14th century.
Biograph ...
moved from Mount Athos to Paroria with his disciples in order to practice hesychasm. The Bulgarian emperor Ivan Alexander (reigned 1331–1371) gave refuge to Gregory of Sinai and provided funds for the construction of a monastery in Paroria, which attracted clerics from
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 ...
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 ...
. Gregory founded the monastery in 1330 and died in Paroria in 1346.
During that time, Paroria became second only to Mount Athos in its importance as a center for the practice and dissemination of hesychasm. However, by the 15th century, Paroria was abandoned by Christian monks as they moved to in Kilifarevo (near Trnovo) and other locations, due to continual raids by the Ottoman Turks.
Today, 's ruins can be found in a few different sites at Paroria, including in ,
Bolyarovo
Bolyarovo ( bg, Болярово ) is a small town in Yambol Province, located not far from the border with Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental ...
.
See also
*
Strandzha Nature Park
Strandzha Nature Park ( bg, Природен парк Странджа ''Priroden park Strandzha'', also transliterated as Stranja Nature Park) is the largest protected area in Bulgaria spanning a territory of in the Strandzha Mountain in the ...
*
Monastic community of Mount Athos
The monastic community of Mount Athos is an Eastern Orthodox community of monks in Greece, enjoying the status of an autonomous region holding the combined rights of a decentralized administration, a region and a municipality, with its territo ...
Grigorije of Gornjak
Grigorije of Gornjak ( sr, Григорије Горњачки, Григорије из Горњака; 1375–1379), also known as Grigorije the Younger () and Grigorije the Silent (), was Serbian Orthodox monk who was canonized as saint. He stud ...