St. Ivan Island - a photo on Flickriver

St. Ivan Island

            The view over to the two islands ( St. Ivan Island and St. Peter 
off the coast of Sozopol, Bulgaria

St. Ivan Island (Bulgarian: остров св. Иван, ostrov Sveti Ivan) is the largest Bulgarian island in the Black Sea, with an area of 0.66 square kilometres (0.25 square miles).[1] It lies off the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast near Sozopol, a town with rich history and a popular tourist place, and is separated by a strait several hundred metres long from the small neighbouring St. Peter Island. Standing at 33 metres (108 feet) above sea level, it is also the highest of the Bulgarian sea islands. It lies 920 metres (0.57 miles) from the Stolets peninsula, the location of Sozopol's Old Town. 
Around the 7th-4th century BC, the island was populated by Thracians. After Sozopol (Apollonia) was conquered by the Romans in 72 BC, a lighthouse was built on the island. Next to the Thracian sanctuary, the locals built a temple of Apollo featuring a bronze statue by Calamis standing 13.2 metres (43 ft) in height, making it easy to see from the city. A complex of buildings was constructed around the temple in the southeastern part of the island, including health stations, inns, etc.
After the conversion to Christianity, a monastical complex was built in the 5th-6th century on top of the ruins of the old Roman temple, including the Basilica of the Mother of God. Towards the 7th-9th century, the basilica was abandoned only to be reconstructed in the 10th century. The Monastery of John the Forerunner and the Baptist grew into an important centre of Christianity in the region; the buildings of the monastery and the church were reconstructed in 1262-1310. Archaeological research was carried out after 1985 for a couple of years, so today the remains of two churches, a royal residence, a library, part of the fortified wall with the gate and several monastic cells can be seen. The monastery was a stauropegic monastery of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and two former patriarchs may have been buried there after being sent into exile.
Sozopol was conquered by the Ottomans together with Constantinople, in 1453, and the monastery was completely destroyed, but later reconstructed in 1467-1471. In the 1620s it was a refuge for Cossack pirates raiding the western Black Sea coast. Archaeologists have even discovered the remains of a Cossack feast in the church. The Ottomans destroyed the remaining buildings on St. Ivan Island in July 1629 in order not to be used by the pirates. It also played a part in the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829, when it was used as a field hospital for Russian soldiers suffering from cholera and also had a Russian graveyard.
Until the mid-19th century, when a natural phenomenon most likely separated them, the small St. Peter Island to the east of St. Ivan was most likely adjoined to it. Two small islets or large rocks also existed to the east of St. Peter, known by the names of Milos and Gata; they were last described by Russian war correspondents in the 1820s.
There is also a lighthouse constructed by French engineers in 1884 and pointing to the Burgas Bay still standing on the island. In the 1970s and early 1980s, there was a project to build a large Balkantourist hotel on St. Ivan, but Todor Zhivkov's intervention prevented that.
In August 2010 the BBC reported that remains of John the Baptist had been found on the island.[2] Radiocarbon dating confirmed that the bones belonged to a man who had lived and died in the Middle East in the middle of the first century
Thanks to Wikipedia
   

Taken in: Bulgaria / Burgas / Sozopol (show map)

Taken on: October 17, 2024

Tags:

Sozopol

black

black Sea

St. Peter Island

St. Ivan Island

islands

Inseln

Meer

Schwarzes

Schwarzes Meer

Bulgaria

Bulgarien

Europa

Europe

Balkan

water

rocks

cliffs

Felsen

rough

Aussicht

view

остров св. Иван

Olympus

OMD

E-M1MarkIII

Olympus 12-40mm F2.8

landscape

seascape « less

Sets appears in: • 500+ views • landscape, flora more » • Bulgaria « less

Groups appears in: • Bulgaria • Olympus Camera Photography: No more than 15 pics a day thank you more » • Olympus Users • OLYMPUS Zuiko Digital & M. Zuiko Digital Club (Please TAG) • URO - USUARIOS OLYMPUS • An entire island - complete and uncropped • NaturePhotographs • La Bodeguilla de Olympus y 4/3 • flickr_illuminatus_world • Inspirational Landscapes • Olympus Cameras • Cultural Heritage of Bulgaria • Get Olympus • OLYMPUS SOUTH AFRICA • See Bulgaria • Flickr Travels Around the World • Bulgarian Photography Group • Olympus Cafe • Planet Earth Landscapes • Any kind of wildlife/nature • Olympus OM-D Landscapes • Just Landscape Shots • Olympus M. ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO • Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm F2.8 PRO • Olympus M.Zuiko 12-40 mm 1:2.8 Pro • Olympus OMD User Deutschland • Flickr Explore It • * just photos * no rules please use comment code appreciated • Olympus E-M1x E-M1 Mark II OM-D System • Olympus. • Olympus - OM System History (all models) • Olympus E-M1 Mark III • Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III • Olympus EM1 mk3 and Zuiko Lenses • Wir mit Olympus • Fans of Flickr « less

Camera: Olympus E-M1MarkIII, f/11.0, 1/320 sec, 18mm, ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Olympus E-M1MarkIII
Aperture:	f/11.0
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/320)
Focal Length:	18mm
ISO:	200
Exposure Bias:	-0.3 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	OM Workspace 2.3.1W
Show full info

Stats: 892 views / 7 comments