History<br />
Learn more<br />Church "St. Dimitar"<br />
Learn more<br />Monastery "St. St. Peter and Pavel
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History
The Rhodope village of Patalenitsa is located 15 km southwest of the town of Pazardzhik, and 1.5 km south of it is the village of Batkun. For centuries the two villages existed independently. Their land has been full of intense life since ancient times. After its merger with the village of Batkun in 1955, the village of Patalenitsa became one of the largest settlements on the northern slopes of the Rhodope Karkaria hill.
In 1189, a detachment of knights participating in the III Crusade was suddenly attacked by the Byzantines at Batkun, but managed to repel them from the fortress. In front of the fortress, Batkun defeats the troops of Manuel Kamitsa. Less than a century later, however, Theodore II Laskaris ravaged Batkun.
The origin of the name Patalenitsa has not yet been established. Some authors explain it with the crossroads location of the village: road – (path) – Patalenitsa. Others believe that during the Middle Ages the village got its name from the church “St. Pantaleimon” with which it was connected. During the recent Turkish conquest, the Bulgarians called it Patlencha, and in the official registers it was recorded as Patalendja.
Folk beliefs and legends give another interpretation to the name of the village of Patalenitsa. According to one of the legends, towards the end of the 12th century, the Bulgarian Queen Elena, wife of King Asen, broke her leg while passing through the Batkun fortress with her entourage. This happened on the way down from the fortress in the area of the present Patalenitsa. Thus, the name Patalenitsa arose from the phrase “patila Elena”.
Near the village is a Roman road along which Alexander the Great passed with his troops.
In 2006, a museum ethnographic exposition was opened in Patalenitsa. It contains items from the past – costumes, farming tools and exhibits found near the village. During the Middle Ages, the important border fortress of Batkunion was located near today’s Batkun village, the remains of which have been preserved to this day. The earliest historical information about it dates from the 12th century. Due to its important strategic position, the Byzantine administrators stationed a garrison in it to guard the passes between Sredets and Puldin. Through all the turning points of our history, a compact mass of Bulgarian population lives here, which predetermines the continuous crises.
Medieval church St. Dimitar"
The construction and history of the Church of St. Dimitar are closely related to the history of the Batkun and Patalenitsa settlements. One of the assumptions is that the church was built to serve the Batkun fortress and the settlements around it.
According to traditions preserved to this day, before the invasion of the Ottomans at the beginning of the 14th century, the church was covered with earth. This is how it was preserved, “curtulized”, from where the name “Sveta Kurtuleschitsa”, which is known to this day, was created. Over time, a hill formed on the site of the church. Even today, the memory of the opening of the church, which took place around the middle of the 19th century, has been preserved. A peasant tied his donkey to the wild cherry that grew on the mound. He happened to see a metal object sticking out of the ground. After digging, he saw a metal cross. Then people remembered the legend about the buried church.
Under the leadership of Chorbadji Petar Gagov, she was excavated and freed from the mound. According to another legend, after a strong storm, a shepherd saw that a large tree had been felled on the top of the mound at the southwest end of the village, and a deep hole was gaping next to its trunk. The villagers let two men with a rope into the hole and thus discovered the church buried in the ground.
In 1956, the church was declared an architectural monument of culture of national importance, and in 1971, after the study of the extremely valuable frescoes, also an artistic monument of culture of national importance
Monastery "St. St. Peter and Pavel
The construction and history of the Church of St. Dimitar are closely related to the history of the Batkun and Patalenitsa settlements. One of the assumptions is that the church was built to serve the Batkun fortress and the settlements around it.
According to traditions preserved to this day, before the invasion of the Ottomans at the beginning of the 14th century, the church was covered with earth. This is how it was preserved, “curtulized”, from which the name “Sveta Kurtuleschitsa”, which is known to this day, was created. Over time, a hill formed on the site of the church. Even today, the memory of the opening of the church, which took place around the middle of the 19th century, has been preserved.
A peasant tied his donkey to the wild cherry that grew on the mound. He happened to see a metal object sticking out of the ground. After digging, he saw a metal cross. Then people remembered the legend about the buried church. Under the leadership of Chorbadji Petar Gagov, she was excavated and freed from the mound. According to another legend, after a strong storm, a shepherd saw that a large tree had been felled on the top of the mound at the southwest end of the village, and a deep hole was gaping next to its trunk. The villagers let two men with a rope into the hole and thus discovered the church buried in the ground.
In 1956, the church was declared an architectural monument of culture of national importance, and in 1971, after the study of the extremely valuable frescoes, also an artistic monument of culture of national importance
Contact us
Address:
village of Patalenitsa, Pazardzhik region
Contacts:
+359 895 08 51 54
info@flora-eco.com
Address:
village of Patalenitsa, Pazardzhik region
Contacts:
+359 895 08 51 54
info@flora-eco.com
