Author: Gabriela Alexandrova
Take a walk down Plovdiv’s Highstreet, southbound directly en route to the Rhodope Mountains. If you keep a straight line 11km into the walk you arrive at one of the oldest villages once famous for its cherry plantations. Nowadays the cherry gardens are replaced by impressive properties – modern, loud, beautiful, the majority of them under construction. This is Belashtitza. Head East, turn on your navigation and ask for the ancient sycamores and the Plane Tree Forest. According to history, Nicephorus Xifi’s residency was built here as a gift to him by the Byzantine emperor Basil II.
At the end of June 1014, Samuil battled the Byzantines at the Klyutchka Gorge on the Mount of Belassitza. Commander Nicephorus Xifi’s proposal for a bypass maneuver dictated the outcome of the battle. This marked the beginning of the end of the First Bulgarian Kingdom. Moreover, Nicephorus Xifi took part in the blinding of Samuil’s army. He then returned to Philipopolis while the emperor expressed his gratitude by sending some of the blinded soldiers as slaves to Nicephorus’s estate.
Legend has it that the sycamore sticks, that they used for support are the first of today’s centuries-old trees. They say that three of them date back as far as the crucial battle.
Nicephorus Xifi called the place Belasitza, which changed to Belashtitza over the years. Nearby to the old trees, one of which has the biggest circuit in the country is the Plane Tree Forest – impressive and beautiful all year round. It is perfect for walks, sport, concerts, exhibitions, weddings, and festivals… People seem to appreciate the serene harmony of the forest and after each event, they don’t leave a trace behind.
There begins a trail taking you to the Belashtitza river, a 750m ascend to the thousand-year-old monastery “St. George the Victorious”. It was also built by Nicephorus Xifi in 1020. There is very little on record about its history or the reason why it was built. Locals believe that the Byzantine commander built the monastery to soothe his guilty conscience after the curse on his mother.
The location is not chosen by chance. Archeologists claim that places of worship are established next to a spring. It is very likely that the people who lived here centuries ago worshiped the Thracian Horseman god. The resemblance with St. George is undeniable. The monastery is situated right next to a healing water source. According to one legend, the blind soldiers discovered the spring, which might have been the reason why Nicephorus built it here. The nuns who look after the monastery today say that the spring has magical healing powers. You just have to have faith.
If you would like to take the other main road back to the village you’ll meet the foxes, wolves, and birds by Plovdiv sculptor Angel Karavlanov. They are carved out of dead tree trunks and it feels like they always belonged here.
Buses to Belashtitza depart every hour from Rhodopi Bus Station.
Photos: Mila Penkova, Svetlozar Ivanov