BELOGRADCHIK ROCKS, BULGARIA

Belogradchik Rocks – Natural Phenomenon & Legends wrapped in stone…

The Madonna of Belogradchik:

“Once there was a nunnery hidden among the Belogradchik Rocks. The youngest nun in the monastery was so beautiful that she was secretly envied by all and often reminded that it was vowed to God. Everyone who saw her could not help but love her.

On the St. Peter’s day all people from the surroundings were allowed to enter the monastery for prayers. A young patrician could not take his eyes off the beautiful young nun and they fell in love at first side. She could not resist her heart and met him secretly. Few months later she gave a birth to a little child and the nun’s illicit love was no longer a secret. The cries of their child echoed the entire land and the elderly nuns decided to punish the young woman by all monastic canons.

On the day when they had to expel her from the monastery dark clouds covered the sky. The day became night and something mysterious happened. A frightening thunder destroyed the monastery and in a few moments turned everyone into a stone. Since than a rock formation, named after the Madonna and her child, are standing alone reminding us that no human being should turn against another.”

[Show slideshow]

Belogradchik

Belogradchik is a small town located in the Northwest Bulgaria where your imagination will start working on another mode. Extraordinary beautiful landscape where the nature forces created number of unique rock sculptures. The formation of the Red rocks started about 230 million years ago and during the Triassic period were a bottom of a shallow sea. Later during the hot and dry period the natural process of erosion and the surface rivers formed vertical blocks seen today as a rock figures.

When the Romans occupied the Balkan Peninsula

they saw the potential of that region and decided to construct a fortress where the rock formations were used as a natural protection. During the Second Bulgarian Empire the Belogradchik Fortress was extended by the Bulgarian tsar Ivan Stratsimir and exceeded the total area of 10 210 square meters. Becoming one of the most important strongholds in the surroundings it amazes even today with its architecture.
In the quiet evenings, when the sun starts going down and the red colour takes over the rocks, you will start seeing clearly shapes of different animals, pyramids, variety of faces and even whole human bodies. The bizarre rock sculptures are astonishing, not only with their age, but also with the legends behind.

[Show slideshow]